Sorcellerie Miraculeuse
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Lierre Noir is a girl who walked away from a destiny she didn't want. However she had no idea that in doing so she walked into a new destiny that could lead to a love she wasn't expecting to find! Meet Paris' new super hero, the unflappable Ladybug and her flirty partner Chat Noir! Is she willing to give love a try? Or will Chat be unable to open up her heart to love? FemHarry
1. Chapter 1

**Just to warn you know I will be slipping French into this. Like her name. Translated the words are "Ivy" "Ladybug" and "Black". The title means "Miraculous Witchcraft".**

 **I blame AmaltheaLuchiaAizen for getting me hooked on the Miraculous Ladybug series. Great author, but a little crazy like I am.**

 **Please pray for all those who died today in France.**

* * *

"Ugh. What time is it?"

A hand blearily reached for the clock on her dresser. Eyes blinked rapidly to wipe away sleep. Any thoughts of it were wiped from her mind the second she register the time.

"I'm going to be late!"

The blanket flew from the bed as a lithe figure emerged.

A girl about fifteen (about to turn sixteen) with raven-black hair and red tints practically leaped out of the bed. Her vibrant green eyes were quickly covered by a pair of prescription contacts that turned them more into a teal color. With a few quick flicks of her hand, her hair straightened out, only to braid itself into a style that made her look like she had a pair of cat ears on her head, with ponytails under it. The look originally resembled a rabbit, but a few tweaks and it turned into cat ears.

That done, she got dressed and almost ran down the stairs to the kitchen.

Good thing she had a habit of making her lunch the night before, because she was running on limited time as it was.

"Have a fun day Noir! Remember, don't scratch up my design pad!" she called out to her pet cat. Noir meowed, before reclining in the sun and napping.

Lierre Coccinelle Noir closed and locked the door, before taking off at a run.

"I'm sooo late!"

Today was the first day of tenth grade. If it hadn't been for her 'big sister' helping her, she never would have been able to move to France to pursue her real dream as a fashion designer.

Everyone expected her to be an Auror or possibly a charms mistress...but she loved fashion.

Which reminded her, she needed to send a birthday gift to Fleur and one for the soon to be born baby.

Feet skidding, she almost collided into another student.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, allowing her bangs to hide half her face. It took her a few moments to recognize the person she had collided with.

Adrien Agreste, a famous teenage fashion model.

And she had almost crashed into him. Not exactly the best introduction.

That was when she noticed the 'escort'. She quickly apologized before heading to class. But she did stay close enough to hear the exchange.

Apparently his father was rather strict, and kept his son locked in the house. She felt sorry for him, but there was little she could do for the guy now. She was late to class.

She completely missed the small Chinese gentleman having trouble getting his cane to walk with.

"Ms. Noir, you are late."

"I'm sorry Ma'am, I overslept."

"Take your seat. You and Marinette shall receive extra homework tonight."

Lierre sat down in the first available seat. Chloe hissed at her, but she ignored her.

* * *

On her way to the bakery, she saw an old man shambling across the road. He appeared completely unaware of the fact that the light had changed, and most drivers on this stretch generally didn't bother to stop when the light was green.

She could do two things.

One, she could help him across and hope not to get hit, or two, leave Marinette, who wasn't the most graceful of people help him. She had obviously seen the same things Lierre had.

Her 'saving people thing' as Hermione had once called it hadn't acted up in a while, so why not do a good deed for the month and keep it quiet?

"Look out!" said Lierre, as she ran across the road and pulled him across before he was almost hit. The car was obviously speeding, and the driver was an idiot for not noticing the pedestrian. She marked what little she could of the license plate.

"Lierre, are you alright?" asked Marinette.

"I'm fine. Are you alright sir?"

Had she stuck around the entrance a bit longer, she would have recognized him from earlier that day. It was the same gentleman who Adrien helped rather than make a break for it into the school.

"I'm fine thanks. That driver certainly was careless wasn't he?"

"I got the license plate. Or a partial anyway. That plus a description of the car should be enough for him to get into serious trouble with the police. He could have killed someone!" said Lierre.

Marinette helped Lierre and the old man up.

"I have to finish the extra homework we got for being late. See you later Lierre!" said Marinette.

"Take care Marinette!" said Lierre.

"Do you need any help, sir?"

"No, I'll be fine. Thank you for coming to my aid," he replied.

"As Edmund Burke said, 'The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.' If the others hadn't been so busy on their phones they might have helped as well," said Lierre.

Once assured he was alright and would be fine on his own, Lierre went home to get her port key. She had to do some cramming for her finals, if only so she could legally be considered an adult witch was to pass her exams. Thanks to a little bribery, she was able to take them early.

The cram school had an anti-apparition ward and the floo was blocked, but scheduled port keys were allowed to pass through.

Unseen again, the old man's eyes glinted. He had found two possible candidates for the earrings, but the girl who had gone into the bakery seemed a bit clumsy.

The girl who helped him across the street before he was hit... he would have to be a fool not to recognize the fact she had magic brimming inside her. Enough magic that should she be turned evil, she could prove to be a deadly adversary.

Mind made up, he knew who the successor of the Ladybug Earrings would be. Perhaps he could impart a different Miraculous to the other girl.

* * *

Lierre was about to take a much needed shower when she found something on her bed. It appeared to be a box.

Most people would pick it up and open it to see what was inside. Lierre was not most people.

Four years of Hogwarts had taught her that even the most innocent item could be carrying evil magic intent on harm. Just look at what happened with Ginny's "diary"!

She cast every detection charm she could think of, and then brought in Noir, her pet Kneazle.

"What do you think Noir?"

The magical cat sniffed the box, before laying down on her soft bed and ignoring it.

Kneazles were well known for being able to sniff out trouble. Crookshanks had been the first to warn them about Pettigrew, and no one knew he was trying to warn them! This was especially true of the ones that liked their owners.

And Noir loved his owner.

Paranoia temporarily appeased, Lierre opted to take her shower first. Just in case the thing was a port key. It had a lot of magic coming off of it.

When she got out, she was dressed for another night in. There was a giant rock monster in Paris and she had no interest in jumping into the fray.

The Aurors in France were much more diligent and on the spot compared to their British counterparts. They actually showed up within ten minutes or less whenever something big was happening like the monster right now.

Lierre cautiously opened the box to reveal...earrings?

She barely had a moment to realize what was inside before a ball of light appeared...and smoothly turned into some sort of red insect.

She stared at the red and black creature. It stared at her.

"Okay, you would think after almost seven years of magical mishaps I wouldn't be surprised anymore. What the heck are you?"

"I'm a Kwami. Don't be afraid Ivy, I'm not here to hurt you!"

"I know I've heard that term before..." said Lierre, before she registered what the bug-thing called her. "And it's Lierre, not Ivy! I refuse to go by that name ever again!"

She had left Ivy Marie Potter in the dust when she moved to France and became Lierre Noir. Lierre didn't have to deal with life-threatening situations or worry about dark lords after her. She could have a pleasant life being the cousin of Fleur and Gabrielle rather than the Girl-Who-Lived.

Finally Lierre found the book.

"Here it is! _Kwami, a spirit that inhabits enchanted jewels called Miraculous. When they find someone who is compatible, the person is then chosen as the new inheritor of the powers within the Miraculous. The two most powerful are the Ladybug Earrings and the Ring of the Black Cat."_

The bug creature floated over the book.

"This is surprisingly well informed."

"So I take it that the reason there's a giant golem rampaging around Paris is because someone misused their Miraculous?"

"The Moth Broach appears to have fallen in the hands of someone with evil intent. It allows the wearer to give super-human powers to ordinary people. The only way to reverse it is through the Ladybug's 'Lucky Charm'," explained the bug.

Lierre sighed.

"Let me guess, I've been chosen as the 'lucky' girl who gets to become the Ladybug."

The bug nodded.

"I'm Tikki, the Kwami of the Earrings."

Lierre had a few options. She could deny this opportunity and hope someone else was chosen to become the new Ladybug...or she could bite the bullet and become a superhero and protect Paris.

Who was she kidding? She had gotten used to death-defying adventures and she was lacking in the adrenaline rush she got from saving people. Besides, outside of the few friends she had, there was nothing better to do.

"I can still be a fashion designer on my off time, right?"

"So long as you can catch the akuma, which look like black moths, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to," said Tikki brightly.

"Alright Tikki, tell me everything I need to know about being the Ladybug," said Lierre brightly, sitting in her swivel chair.

"Shouldn't we be stopping Stoneheart?" said Tikki.

"I can apparate. And I've traveled all over this city a few times, so if need be I can teleport there with my magic. That gives us plenty of time for some explanations."

Lierre had learned long ago that information was critical. The more she had now, the easier it would be to end the crisis without anyone getting hurt.

Tikki blinked, before she went into a five minute long explanation of her potential powers and what she needed to do in order to stop the akuma.

Listening to the super-hero orientation generally helped more than it hurt, even if they were on the clock.

Lierre put the earrings in before looking at Tikki.

"So all I have to do is say 'Spots On'?" said Lierre. "Whoa!"

Lierre took a good look at herself in the mirror. She looked like a human ladybug, minus the wings.

"Well it could be worse. At least the outfit isn't too embarrassing, like the skimpy cheerleader outfits from _Sailor Moon_ ," said Ladybug. She grinned mostly to herself. "Time to stop some baddies!"

* * *

 _Across town..._

A figure who was dressed like a black cat was walking across a long pole between two buildings. He was in a much better mood now that he was out of his house and no one would recognize him.

"LOOK OUT!"

The blond figure only had a few seconds to register the body flying towards him before they were both almost flattened on the ground.

"I'm so sorry about that! I'm not used to this thing yet. Are you alright?" said the girl.

 _'I think I'm in love,'_ thought Adrian.

The girl in front of him was beautiful. She had the most gorgeous green eyes, raven black hair with tips that flared out into red that matched her outfit, and a rather decent sized figure from someone that exercised regularly. And that accent.

"You must be my partner that I was told about. I'm... Chat Noir, yeah, Chat Noir."

"Ladybug. Did you just get your Miraculous today too?" asked the girl rather cheerfully.

"Yeah," said Chat Noir, grinning.

"Well while I was learning how to use this thing, I saw Stoneheart about three blocks that way and heading North."

Chat Noir stared at her.

"You saw the Akuma while you were trying to land?" he said incredulous.

"I'm really, really observant. Besides, it's not the first time I've flown, just the first time using this to do it," she said holding up her Lucky Charm.

"Well, try to keep up Ladybug!" said Chat Noir.

"You keep up with me, kitten!" she shouted back playfully. Chat Noir almost stumbled at the nickname.

Ladybug snickered.

* * *

The red and black Lucky Charm flew through the air and caught the moth. With a swipe of her hand, she opened up the charm releasing the butterfly inside.

"Bye, bye little butterfly."

"Wow, you're really good at this," said Chat Noir.

"Once a hero, always a hero. Stuff like this doesn't even phase me anymore," said Ladybug cheerfully. Her earrings flashed. "Gotta run! See you later kitten!"

"It's Chat Noir! Not kitten!" he shouted blushing.

* * *

Lierre was grinning wildly as she turned back. It was hard for her to believe, but she missed this.

"Wow Lierre, you're really good at this!"

"I used to be a Seeker in England. It doesn't hurt that it was daylight and the akuma was pitch black. Besides, I'm used to this sort of thing," said Lierre.

"You're...used to it?"

"Every year at my school there was some big mystery or another that I had to solve. Usually with someone needing help at the end of it. It's gotten to the point where I've become desensitized to it all. That big stone monster was nothing compared to the thousand year old basilisk I took out when I was twelve. Or the fifty-plus dementors I chased off with a Patronus," said Lierre.

Tikki looked skeptical at the claim, until she saw the scar from where the basilisk bit her clean through her arm. There was no way to fake that sort of injury, which would resist magical healing.

Plus there was the absence of any sort of fear whatsoever when confronted with Stoneheart about to crush her. Most people would have freaked out, but Lierre had calmly gotten out of the way and used Chat Noir's help to take out the Akuma. Even Chat Noir had briefly panicked.

* * *

Adrien was definitely crushing on Ladybug. She had been so cool and collected when she was fighting that monster. She hadn't even looked worried when he threw that goal post at her, just got out of the way and sent her Lucky Charm at him.

As if that wasn't enough, his dad had allowed him to attend school with the other kids. It was a miracle!

This was definitely his lucky day!


	2. Chapter 2

"Where are we going Lierre?"

"Gah! I'm almost late for my port key to the exam site! If I'm late they'll dock my score for every minute, and I need all the points I can get!"

"What exam?"

"The Nastily Excruciating Wizard Tests, or N.E.W.T.'s. I got a pass to take them early, and I really want to prove that allowing me to come to France was a smart investment for the Delacour family," said Lierre.

Tikki looked confused.

"Why are you taking them now?"

"Long story short, I need to be recognized as an adult witch before I turn seventeen just in case the English try to bring me back."

As an adult she could take full control over her family vaults and dictate where she lived. The English couldn't force an adult witch to move back. Not without some serious repercussions which would almost certainly backlash on them in a spectacular way.

And if she passed her N.E.W.T.'s early, then she could stop any attempts to marry her off to someone of 'good breeding' as the head of her house.

Grabbing her messenger bag, Lierre grabbed her lunch.

"I'll be back in a few hours Tikki, Noir. Feel free to watch some TV or DVD's!" said Lierre, right as the port key whisked her off to the exam hall.

Tikki looked at Lierre's pet Kneazle.

"So...what do you want to watch Noir?"

Noir meowed, before it shambled over to the shelf and pushed off a DVD. He was an extremely smart cat. Tikki was able to put it in the player and hit the remote.

* * *

 _Six hours later..._

Lierre came home and promptly collapsed on the couch.

"I _hate_ exams. But at least the written work is over with. I have to do the practicals in two days... which leaves me enough time to find a present for Adrian!"

Adrian's birthday was tomorrow. Lierre didn't have a crush on him like most of the girls in their class, but she recognized loneliness when she saw it. And something about him reminded her of that silly kitten Chat Noir, so what better gift than something he could confide in and know it wouldn't share his secrets? Something to keep the birds away, because she heard he had an allergy to feathers.

She had an allergy to stupidity, which was one of the reasons she left England. She kept getting the most annoying rash from being around inbred morons.

Once she had a decent mental break and eaten something a bit more filling, she apparated to the magical alley. Noir was in his cat carrier and would help her find something suitable for Adrian. He had a nose for it.

The black cat was firmly on her shoulder as she walked into the pet store.

"May I help you mademoiselle?"

"I am looking for a kneazle. A gift for a friend," said Lierre.

"We have a wide variety of kneazels, cats and other feline-creatures. This way please."

Noir jumped down and started 'chatting' with the other cats.

It didn't take long for him to find a small black kitten with vibrant green eyes. The comparison with Chat Noir and this kitten made her grin.

"I'll buy this one. How much?"

"Three sickles. Four if you wish to buy an enchanted collar so that it will never come to harm."

She handed over four silver coins.

"Very good mademoiselle. What name shall I inscribe into the collar?"

"Ténèbres."

With that done, Lierre went to take a nice day off. She didn't have school and there wasn't any supervillian trying to destroy Paris.

* * *

Adrian was rather depressed. His dad wouldn't let him have a party, and this was the first time he had friends.

So naturally he was caught off guard when the shy girl in the class Lierre Noir (he mostly remembered the girl by her last name) walked up to him with a box.

"You look like you could use a friend you can talk to without it ever getting back to your father," she said by way of explanation for the box. "Happy Birthday."

He carefully opened the wrapping to reveal...a black kitten?

"His name is Ténèbres."

The kitten opened his eyes and stared into Adrian's. It had almost the same shade as his.

"He's a pure breed, so I think your father can handle you owning him."

The kitten mewled and jumped onto Adrian's shoulder.

"He's friendly."

"Kneazles have a tendency to bond with their owners more than most cats. They're smarter too. I remember reading that you had an allergy to feathers, so he should keep the birds away," said Lierre.

"Thanks Lierre."

"You reminded me of another silly kitten, so I thought you'd like him," said Lierre, before her hair hid more of her face. "Besides, I know a little too well what it's like not to be able to properly celebrate your birthday."

His tutor Nathalie wasn't too pleased with his new pet, but she knew he had been depressed over his birthday and let it slide. If his father found out she could claim it had been the gift she had bought in his stead.

It wasn't until he got home that he realized something.

"I remind her of another silly kitten?"

Chat Noir had a major (and obvious) crush on Ladybug. She was clearly fond of him as well, but to his embarrassment she insisted on calling him "kitten".

Chat Noir had green eyes. He knew because he saw it in the mirror.

"Hey Adrian, what's that?" asked Plagg.

"A kneazle. A friend gave him to me for my birthday," said Adrian.

Plagg nearly dropped out of the air in shock.

"Did you just say a friend gave you a _kneazle_?" said Plagg.

"Yeah. Lierre said she knew I could use someone to talk to," said Adrian, wondering why Plagg looked so surprised.

"Adrian...kneazles are _magical_ cats. As in the preferred pets to witches and wizards. They're insanely smart and loyal," said Plagg.

"Wait...are you saying Lierre is a..."

"If she was able to get a kneazle so easily, then she might be a witch. Probably the same one I've been sensing since I joined you in class. Whoever he or she is, they're really, really powerful. You do _not_ want them to become infected by akuma,"said Plagg dead serious.

"That bad?"

"Let me put it this way. You'd have to be insanely lucky to win against them if they're experienced."

"Okay, okay, don't tick off the witch or wizard."

"I'm dead serious Adrian. The magicals have a spell that can kill with one hit that's acid green. There's also a spell that can torture a person by overstimulating their nerve endings, and another one that can take away all freedom you have and control your every move. They're called the Unforgiveables."

Adrian looked properly horrified.

Then he heard the doorbell ring. It was Nino.

* * *

Chat Noir ran into Ladybug dealing with the Bubbler. It was after that he brought up what Plagg said about witches and wizards. He hoped she'd have some insight as to who they were.

He did not get the answer he was expecting.

Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"The _witch_ in that school is harmless unless you annoy her. And she doesn't like the Unforgiveables. They took away her parents."

"You know her?"

Ladybug made the effort to look him in the eye.

"We're acquainted. Anyway kneazles are fairly easy to get in Paris. There's an alley pretty close to the Eiffel Tower and there's a pet shop there."

"You know where the alley is?"

"Naturally. I go there regularly for cooking ingredients. Anyway got to run!" said Ladybug.

It wasn't until he got home that he found out what Ladybug had been discreet enough not to tell him in front of Nino.

Ladybug was a witch!

Strangely, that didn't make his crush on her go away. It only made her more interesting to him.

* * *

Lierre crossed her fingers. This was it. She was supposed to get the results of her exams today.

An owl appeared on the windowsill. It waited for her to relieve the scroll before flying off.

Tikki and Noir waited for Lierre to open it up, before she let out an excited shout!

"I didn't dip below Acceptable! And the only one I got that on was that in was Divination, and that's because I took up scrying out of boredom! Yes!"

"Don't you have class today?" asked Tikki.

"Ah! Thanks for reminding me Tikki!" said Lierre. With a flick of the wrist, her hair went into yet another interesting design. Once again her face was obscured by her bangs. She got dressed, put on some new shoes, and bolted out the door without her lunch.

She managed to reach class just before the bell rang.

"Close call girl," said Alya.

"Trying to impress Adrian by changing your looks?" sneered Chloe.

Lierre looked at her blankly. This was the same hairstyle she had been wearing all week. Everyone knew she changed it up every Monday.

It was Adrian who clued her in.

"So that's what your eyes look like. Or one of them anyway," he said fascinated.

It took her a moment to realize that part of her eyes were clear of her bangs. She quickly tried to hide it, but the damage was done.

"How come you always hide your eyes?" asked Marinette.

"It's easier to hide," said Lierre.

Most wizards wouldn't have a lick of common sense. They wouldn't consider she'd grow her bangs out to hide her eyes, which were one of the most memorable traits about her.

Closer to the front, Adrian marked another weird thing about the shy girl. At least he thought she was shy, in a good way.

Something about her seemed to draw people in. Unless you were Chloe, who seemed to have a vendetta against her for some reason.

Perhaps he should look into who Lierre Noir was.

* * *

Adrian looked at the screen in disbelief.

Nothing. There were absolutely no records of a Lierre Noir outside of a passport with a very distinctive crest and an application to the school beyond two and a half years ago. It was as if she had appeared out of nowhere and established herself in a well to do neighborhood that was affordable to a student on a small income.

Most curious was that the passport listed her eyes as green, but even her photo clearly showed her bangs obscuring the top half of her face.

What really bugged him was that he knew that crest. He had seen it before while he was modeling.

Ironically the answer came while he was being tutored.

Delacour. The oldest daughter Fleur had that crest monogrammed on her bag. It was their family crest, and if he remembered right the Patriarch of the Delacour family worked _very_ high up in the French Embassy.

Last he heard of Fleur, she had gotten married to someone in Britain and was working in an exclusive English bank. She still sent him birthday cards.

Chloe hated Lierre. It was likely she found out the hard way that Lierre was sponsored by a family far higher up in the French government than her father, who ran Paris. If that was the case, it was no wonder she hated her. She was one of the rare people that Chloe couldn't boss around and get away with it.

Ténèbres meowed loudly, and jumped on his shoulder. He was a very friendly cat.

Adrian cleared out his search history and hide the evidence of his investigation. He didn't want his father finding this out and getting paranoid.

Instead he took out a cat toy (he had bought a few of them to keep Ténèbres occupied) and played with his cat. Much to his amusement, even Plagg became fascinated with the laser pointer.

* * *

Lierre was in the Delacour chateau, where she had just been tackled by an enthusiastic Gabrielle.

"So I heard Paris has a new super hero duo in town," said Antoinette, Fleur and Gabrielle's mother.

"What can I say, I was bored to tears. I love Paris, but that stupid castle got me hooked on adrenaline rushes from saving people. Besides, there's this adorable kitty cat who always shows up."

"Chat Noir does seem rather dashing," agreed Gabrielle.

"He keeps having this adorable blush whenever I call him Kitten," giggled Lierre.

"Details girl, leave nothing out!" said Gabrielle.

"I'm not supposed to give specifics, but I can gist at least," said Lierre cheerfully.

Tikki was clear that no one was to know about her secret identity. It was likely because that protected the friends and family from the akuma.

But the only 'family' she had was in England, and the Delacours were an old family behind strong wards. There was no way a muggle turned akuma would be able to find them.

Besides, she was no where near Paris at the moment, and she desperately needed girl talk from the only person she considered an acceptable mother figure.

By this point the Delacours considered her the 'middle' daughter, despite the fact she was in no way related to them.

The lone male of the house took one look in the drawing room and promptly headed back to the office. No sane man would dare get between girl talk. Especially if two of the three had _Veela_ blood in their veins, because they thrived on the stuff. Paperwork was safer and less likely to induce spontaneous combustion.


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy birthday wishes to** **orion kuroi! I hope you have an excellent birthday!  
**

* * *

Lierre made a face when she saw Alya trying to figure out who Ladybug was. She was completely unaware of something Adrian had planned for her.

"Wait, you're telling me Lierre's birthday is next week?" said Nino.

"The thirty-first. I was surprised too. You didn't know?"

"Her records are sealed tight. Chloe threw a massive fit about it last year when Lierre first came. Apparently she's the daughter of some big wig in the French Ministry," said Nino.

And hadn't that been a shock. Lierre was kinder and more friendly than Chloe, and she outranked her. She wore well made clothes and didn't flash her inheritance about, whereas Chloe was a spoiled brat. She also didn't threaten her dad on them if they did anything to anger her.

In fact Lierre made a point to cut Chloe down to size whenever she got too bossy. Which was rare, as she didn't like to speak up that often.

Marinette liked to use Lierre as a shield from Chloe.

"Well her birthday is on the thirty-first, and she said she knew what it was like not to have a chance to celebrate it. I think her parents forgot the date," said Adrian.

To his surprise, Nino shook his head.

"Lierre's an orphan. From what I heard she lives alone in a big loft in the condo complex with only her cat," said Nino.

"What are you two being so sneaky about?" asked Alya.

"Lierre's birthday is on Thursday," said Nino.

"I completely forgot about that! We should totally have a party!" said Alya.

"I can't. We have a big order of specialty cupcakes and a big cake for Thursday," said Marinette. She frowned. "The place we're supposed to deliver them to is all hush-hush, which is rather weird."

"So how old is miss bookworm supposed to be then?" asked Chloe snidely.

"Sixteen," said Adrian.

"SIXTEEN?!" shrieked Chloe.

"I'm only a few months older than the rest of you. What's the big deal?" said Lierre, having heard the shriek.

"You should be in the grade above us! Why are you in tenth grade?!" shrieked Chloe.

"Because I lost a year of schooling before I moved to Paris, and it was easier to transfer into a year below. I don't see the problem just because I'm sixteen," said Lierre in confusion.

It was a typical scene between Chloe and Lierre. Chloe was a major drama queen, especially when she was in a snit like now.

Lierre was unflappable, capable of countering Chloe's cattiness and spoiled rotten attitude with ease. But heaven help you if you got on her bad side. Then she got really, really mean.

To date only Chloe had gotten her that mad, and only once. She didn't _dare_ attract that sharp tongue a second time. Lierre had given a terse apology, but she did not say she was sorry for making Chloe cry for days.

Though occasionally she got some rather...harmless...reminders when she found a toddler's toy or something else meant for small children under five in her things.

* * *

Chat Noir found Ladybug high up on the Eiffel Tower. He wondered why no one noticed her. The news crews certainly wanted an interview, but she had made her opinion of reporters clear.

Well clear to him anyway. All her answers left no room for interpretation, and her tone made it clear she didn't really like talking to the news. She tried to keep any interview less than five minutes.

Remembering the shock of learning when Lierre's birthday was, he decided now was as good a time as any to find out when Ladybug had her birthday.

Ladybug gave him a weird look.

"My birthday is this Thursday. At most I'm expecting the odd card from my adopted sisters and the others. I'm kind of in hiding, and I've never really had a proper birthday party," said Ladybug. Her eyes seemed to gaze at something that wasn't there.

"Really?" said Chat, surprised.

"My parents died when I was really, really young. Too young to properly remember them. And my aunt certainly didn't like acknowledging I existed. So when I was seven I stayed up past minute to wish myself a happy birthday."

Chat Noir made a split decision.

"Then on Thursday I'll bring you something special. No one should be that alone on their birthday."

Ladybug gave him this smile that said she didn't believe him. Something about her eyes said that she was sad, but she still hoped for good days to come.

"So what sort of thing do you like?"

"I like cats, even _silly kittens_ ," she said mischievously.

That seemed to be all she was willing to share, because she used her Lucky Charm to fly through the night. He had to admit, she seemed more at home in the sky than she did on the ground. Like she felt safe there.

Chat had some online shopping to do tonight.

* * *

 _In Adrian's bedroom..._

Adrian was on a mission, a two-fold one. He was looking for a present. Two, actually.

One was for Ladybug, the other was for the quiet Lierre. Lierre was easy, she didn't have much in the way of jewelry, aside from a pair of black earring she never took off. Ténèbres meowed, and he had an idea.

Mind made up, Adrian looked for jewelry with black cats. He found the prefect bracelet for Ladybug. It was a black panther with golden wings. And Plagg had reluctantly mentioned he knew how to inscribe runes. Mostly because Adrian was fascinated with magic.

He would have Plagg help him put runes for protection and safety on the bracelet.

As for Lierre...he remembered hearing her listening to the violin with a contented expression on her face. He went looking and almost gave up hope before he found a ring with a lady bug made of left over onyx and ruby on a gold ring.

The question was who got what? He was sure Ladybug would see the irony of wearing a gold ladybug, but he though the cat suited her better. Finally he came to a decision to give the cat to Ladybug (as a way to claim her as his), and the little ring to Lierre. Hopefully Chloe wouldn't make too big a fuss.

* * *

 _Thursday..._

A certain blonde girl was practically bouncing in her spot. She couldn't wait to see the surprised look on Lierre's face.

"Welcome! How may I help you young lady?" asked Mr. Dupain.

"I would like to have cupcakes delivered to this _exact_ location, with the chocolate one delivered to her," said Gabrielle confidently.

Mr. Dupain looked at the location and his eyebrow raised. That was his daughter's class.

"When would you like this delivered?"

"Today, preferably before lunch."

"I'm afraid we're delivering to another location today."

"But my father called ahead and ordered those cupcakes last week!"

He blinked.

"The Delacour delivery?"

"It's a surprise for my big sister Lierre. The cake is supposed to be delivered to another location later, since we can't celebrate at home. Maman thought Lierre would enjoy celebrating with her friends," said Gabrielle.

Seeing the conspirator's glint, Gabrielle grinned.

"I could use help delivering the cupcakes, and I'm sure this would be a nice surprise for Lierre's friend Marinette. We also have permission from the principal to deliver them to the class."

 _A short time later..._

"And now everyone, a special surprise has been arranged by one of the parents of your classmates."

"Dad!" yelped Marinette. He winked at her, before a squeal was heard from an unlikely source.

"Gabrielle!" said Lierre.

"Happy birthday big sister! Daddy got permission and everything, so everyone in your class is getting a free cupcake from the _best_ bakery in Paris as well as an invite to the dinner party later~!" said Gabrielle.

"Dinner party?" said Alya perking up.

"Daddy reserved the entire restaurant at Hotel Le Meurice to celebrate Lierre's birthday and everyone in her class is invited."

 **(A/N: Please note that this hotel does exist and is in Paris. I looked it up on Bing, since I have never been to France in my life.)**

"That's the most expensive restaurant in Paris!" said Nathaniel.

Chloe discreetly seethed. Not even her father, who ran Paris as the Mayor, could reserve _the_ most expensive restaurant in Paris for an entire night. A few tables, yes, but not the entire restaurant.

* * *

Chat Noir appeared on the favorite spot of Ladybug. She definitely loved heights, the higher the better. And what had better view than the Eiffel Tower?

Ladybug was there, looking much more cheerful than she was a few days ago. The smile she gave Chat made his heart skip a beat.

"You did say you weren't expecting much from your birthday, so I got this and had Plagg help me add a few extras."

Ladybug's face lit up when she saw the flying cat. She slipped it on her wrist, and he would swear that the feline was running playfully around her wrist.

"I had an unexpected surprise show up today."

Chat Noir wouldn't admit it, but he almost fell off the tower when Ladybug reached across the aged metal and kissed him firmly on the cheek for more than five seconds. His face was bright red and he had trouble doing more than stammering.

"That was for the bracelet. Very few boys as cute or charming as you have dared to give me anything this sweet."

"Okay I'm calling that bluff. No way a girl as cute as you doesn't have admirers," said Chat, managing to keep his blush down to reasonable levels.

"By the time boys were interested in girls, I had already moved to Paris. And I've learned that hiding my features is a good way to keep the unwanted ones away from me," said Ladybug smiling. "See you later Chat."

It took him a few seconds to realize she had called him by his name, instead of 'kitten'. His blush was back at full force.

He was never washing that cheek again.

* * *

Lierre looked at her new outfit with a smile. This was going to be her new daily wear, along with a collection of others that she particularly liked.

Most of her favorite outfits that she had designed were heavily influenced by what pop culture called "steampunk", a mixture of the industrial age and the Victorian gothic look. Sometimes it was the American Wild West, but she had gone with Victorian Gothic.

Now all she had to do was make it.

She grinned, and her vibrant green eyes sparkled at the idea of wearing her designs.

Time to get to work.

 _Several days later..._

Lierre was going to be late, but none of the class really noticed that fact. It took them a few seconds to realize that someone they didn't recognize had entered the room, wearing something that was both eye-catching and very fashionable. It was also within the school's dress code.

"Who is _that_?" said Chloe in admiration. She wanted that outfit. It was both daring and beyond the latest fashions. Anyone who was caught wearing it as well as this girl did would be considered a trendsetter.

It was when the girl spoke (because there was no doubt that it was a girl) that they all got the shock of their life.

"Oh good, I was hoping this would turn out like I hoped," she said in a quiet voice that commanded attention despite the low tone.

Marinette was the first to speak, shock clear in her voice.

" _Lierre_?"

"Where did you get that outfit?" said Alya in admiration.

"I made it. Took me the better part of the weekend just to track down the materials alone, and another day just to create it."

"...Do you take requests?" asked Marinette.

"I have an entire book with designs like this one. You can pick the one that you like the most and I'll give you a fair price," said Lierre.

Meanwhile a certain blond was watching Lierre with renewed interest. He had seen past the mask she had put on for most of the class during her birthday dinner.

(The cake the Delacour ordered was a ladybug made of red velvet with red cream cheese frosting and dark chocolate spots, in the same shape as Ladybug's earrings. It looked like a ladybug about to take flight.)

Adrian didn't know Lierre's eyes were such bright color, or that she generally wore contacts to turn them into a shade of teal. And the way she looked when those eyes lit up...

His heart skipped a beat a few times watching her interact with her adopted sister Gabrielle.

Of course his interest in a girl did not go unnoticed by Nathalie. Or by his father, when she reported it.

What he hadn't anticipated was that his father Gabriel would allow his interest in a girl to continue. In fact he was all for it.

It was rather mind blowing, considering he had made it clear he would not allow his son to 'fraternize' with others he considered to be of "lesser" breeding. It was one of the reasons why he had more or less be stuck with Chloe. As the Mayor's daughter she was barely considered acceptable by his strict father.

Lierre didn't act, look or behave like someone his father would consider 'acceptable' for his son. In fact she acted like a perfectly ordinary girl.

The weird thing was that he felt more comfortable around her than any of his other classmates. She didn't make any demands on him, she understood his actual feelings without being told, and she was a quiet presence. There was also a passionate fire that burned under a cover of darkness that he could just sense was waiting to explode.

He was one of the few who accepted her presence without asking any awkward questions. Those she considered her friends, without trying to hide her real self.

That was when his tutor dropped a bomb he could do without.

"Your cousin Felix will be arriving next week. He will be staying with us for the remainder of the school year."

Adrian couldn't help his expression. The grimace on his face said volumes.

His cousin Felix was a bookworm of the highest caliber, with none of the endearing traits he found in Lierre Noir. He was perfectly content reading dusty old tomes without leaving the library or getting out in the sun. He was rather uptight as well, and was always holding the fact that he was the heir to a rather impressive family legacy as a reason to be a jerk to Adrian.

Something about how he lacked a certain quality that Felix possessed.

That wasn't to say Adrian hated his cousin. He just preferred not to spend large amounts of time with him because he was so...stuffy.

The worst part was that people thought that the two were actually brothers, because they looked so much alike.

A sudden thought hit him, and he had to contain the jealous urge to himself. He odds were that Felix, who was only a month or two older than he was, would end up in the same class as Adrian.

Lierre was quiet and she liked books. What if he ended up falling for her?


	4. Chapter 4

Chloe was beside herself with joy. Adrian's hot cousin Felix would be coming to _their_ class.

Lierre was still in her new outfits, and some of the girls in class were lucky enough that she had been able to procure the materials to make them a set. So long as she kept them in line with the school's rules on dress, the trend was permitted.

Which meant most of the 'steam' aspects of the outfits had to be kept off, or toned down so that the people wearing them wouldn't be distracted by them suddenly falling off or getting in the way.

Considering her own personal outfit showed a good portion of her collar bone, but she kept her face hidden from view, it skirted the dress code.

Everyone stared at the new student. He could have passed for an older, more mature version of Adrian.

"Everyone, meet Félix Delacroix. He will be with us for the next school year."

Adrian hid his face from horror.

"As I'm sure some of you are aware, he is Mr. Agreste's cousin."

Adrian couldn't look anyone in the face. It was pretty clear how he felt about his cousin being here.

It was during lunch that most of the girls practically swarmed Félix in the hopes of getting know him better. Most, but not all.

Lierre completely ignored the new boy and sidled up to Adrian.

"Are you aware your cousin is a wizard?" she asked quietly, one teal-green eye looking at him.

Adrian blinked.

"Seriously?"

"I can feel the magic coming off him from here, and from the way he's been observing me for the past hour and a half says that he's aware of my adopted family," said Lierre flatly. There was a sudden mischievous smirk on her face. "Would you like me to prank him?"

"...Give me a week before he drives me up the wall, then I'll consider it. He could use some lightening up," said Adrian. His heart did a flutter at the wicked glint in the one eye not covered up by her hair.

Seeing the way his cousin looked at her, however, made that flutter turn to annoyance.

That annoyance carried to Chat Noir, though the way Ladybug smiled at him made a good chunk of it go away.

At least until a new 'super hero' made his presence know.

"And who are you supposed to be?"

"Call me Chat Blanc, mademoiselle," said the practically blinding white feline-like hero. "The Ministry thought it prudent to give you...competent...back up to deal with these nuisances."

Ladybug looked more annoyed with the new hero on the scene than Chat Noir did.

What she said next had Chat Noir looking at her with fresh eyes.

"Really Monsieur Delacroix, was Chat Blanc the _best_ you could come up with?"

Chat Blanc did not make any noticeable surprise at the fact she had already guessed who he was.

"I thought I had adequately disguised myself."

"A new student showing up mere hours before a new hero? That's a plot line that's so common it's practically cliché. And costume or not, you should really learn to disguise your magical signature, I could feel it from two blocks away," said Ladybug flatly.

"I shall make a note of such and address it appropriately at a later day, Mademoiselle Ladybug," said Chat Blanc.

Chat Noir was really annoyed with his cousin now. The guy was trying to steal _his_ spotlight!

The akuma was quickly dealt with, and Chat Noir's tail flicked this way and that in annoyance.

Ladybug seemed to find this rather amusing, but was polite enough to keep her expression flat.

"Stupid jerk. Who does he think he is, trying to steal my spot?" said Chat Noir irritably.

That was enough for her to break. She giggled, a sound he rarely heard.

"Are you actually _jealous_?" she said.

"No!" said Chat Noir a little too quickly.

"You're jealous!" she said laughing.

"I am not jealous!"

"It's highly unlikely the public will take to him as quickly as they did you. He's too stiff and formal for them to like. Whereas you're charismatic and easy to get along with. People like the mischievous heroes more than they like the stiff-necked ones," she assured him.

Chat Noir puffed up a bit.

"He better not be trying to take my spot though," said Chat Noir.

Ladybug giggled again, a lighthearted sound.

"If you're that worried, there's something you should know. Mischief is in my bloodline, and I prefer your gentle chaos to his strict order," said Ladybug with a wink, before she took off.

Chat Noir stared at her, before he blushed with a massive grin on his face. She had all but said she liked him more than his cousin! If he wasn't about to turn back, he would have taken a run with joy.

* * *

Adrian was having a bad day. He could pin it on one simple fact.

Félix had found Ténèbres in his room.

"Where did you get this cat?" he practically demanded.

Adrian scooped Ténèbres up, and the cat practically glared at his cousin.

"He's a gift from a friend."

"Who?"

Adrian narrowed his eyes at his cousin.

"What does it matter?"

"Because it is an inappropriate gift," said Félix.

Ténèbres hissed at him when he tried to remove the cat. Adrian made a point to lock his doors in case his cousin tried to follow.

"What's his problem?" wondered Adrian aloud.

"Eh, some magicals try to be a little too strict with the whole secrecy thing. Looks like your cousin is someone who thinks himself superior because he's a wizard and you're a squib."

"A _what_?"

"You're someone from a magical bloodline who for some reason or another was born without the ability to use it. Maybe you're lacking some gene or pathway, but you have a magical core that you're unable to access outside of Chat Noir," said Plagg. "Give it a month or two and a connection might be established naturally in time."

That gave Adrian some hope, but it didn't help him _now_.

"What about Ténèbres?" said Adrian.

"Bring him with you. Once he gets used to going to school, he'll be more inclined to hang out with me on the roof or something and Félix won't be able to touch him. I've seen Lierre's cat Noir following her to school a few times anyway."

Noir didn't mind if Plagg reclined on him when he was taking a cat nap.

* * *

"Mademoiselle Noir, I was wondering if you would be receptive to seeing a concert tomorrow evening."

Adrian and everyone in earshot stared at the audacity of Félix.

No one had dared to ask Lierre out on a date before. Mostly because they were terrified of being on the wrong side of Chloe.

After the last person to piss her off had ended up suspended on a trumped up charge courtesy of the new Vice Principal, no one save Lierre had dared to give her reason to target them. The man was weak-willed and easily persuaded by the fact Chloe's father was the Mayor. He really didn't want to deal with that mess.

And yet Félix was breaking one of the cardinal rules of the school. Don't attract Chloe's attention in any way.

Especially by asking out her number one least favorite female (Marinette gladly handed that title over when she realized it) Lierre Noir.

Lierre blinked.

"As fascinating as the offer sounds, I'm afraid I must decline. I'm afraid I prefer chaos to your neat and orderly world," she said calmly.

"I see."

Almost immediately, she was swarmed by Alya and Marinette.

"I can't believe you decline an offer to a concert from such a hottie," said Alya.

"I honestly prefer Chat Noir to Félix and his orderly ways. He reminds me of an annoying red head and the bookish brunette I knew in England," said Lierre.

Félix felt like he had all of Percy Weasley's worst traits with Hermione's bookish nature. Not exactly a combination she wanted in a boyfriend.

Besides, she had the feeling Félix had ulterior motives for asking her out. Odds were he knew about her adoptive family, or worse, her birth name before she had it legally changed. If that was the case, then any chance he had of dating her went out the window.

From where Adrian was standing, he felt nothing but relief hearing Lierre like Chat Noir more than his cousin. Nino patted him on the shoulder.

"Looks like you still have a shot with the Steam Queen," said Nino.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on dude, everyone knows you have a crush on Lierre."

Adrian blushed.

"How?"

"Same way everyone knows that almost every girl in class has a crush on you. She seems to like you better than your cousin, but you might want to get a move on if you want to date her," said Nino.

Adrian had an idea that might work. Unlike Félix, he had been observing Lierre for a few months now. She was still wearing the ring he gave her for her birthday too, so he had a shot.

And besides, what did he have to lose? It wasn't like Chloe would harass him when he could easily deflect her attentions to his very annoying cousin. If anyone needed that headache, it was Félix.

Nino gave him a thumbs up when he approached her. He knew the other girls were discreetly watching them, waiting to see what would happen.

"Hey Lierre... I was wondering if you'd be interested in going to this spot where these musicians practice their new songs for the public. It's a free event and they occasionally have vendors there selling snacks," he said nervously.

Lierre's eyes were visible from behind her bangs, which was a major rarity. If they could see them, everyone would have noticed both eyebrows had shot up.

"Well...you did ask me by my first name, unlike your stiff cousin. So why not."

Chloe was the first to speak, and it was in a shrill tone.

"No way! You asked out that frumpy loser? What does she have that I don't?!" she shrieked.

It was so silent you could hear Nathaniel's pen drop. There was a sudden spike in tension as you could literally see Lierre's anger. Every male present immediately backed away to the walls, to avoid being caught in what could only be a monumental cat fight in the making. The girls joined in, silently taking sides.

The popular clique who were as cold and cruel as Chloe stood behind her glaring at Lierre.

And the 'regular' kids who only followed Chloe because they were afraid of attracting her ire fell behind Lierre.

Her eyes weren't hiding at all. In fact they were twin blazes of fury and her every barb was calculated to cause maximum damage to Chloe's self esteem and reputation.

Everyone knew that Chloe only ran the school because Lierre had zero interest in the title as the Queen Bee.

"What's the matter, Daddy's girl, going to run to your father crying because the real power in this school isn't you? Oh wait, I forgot, you run crying to him every time you don't get your way like a three-year-old denied her favorite toy," said Lierre.

Chloe flinched.

"That's not true!"

"Guess what blondie, this is the real world. Your self-entitled attitude isn't going to cut it when you're living on your own and have to _work_ for a living. And where will your groupies be when your father isn't mayor any more? Who will you turn to when you're out on the streets with no where to go because you no longer have the power or prestige from being the Mayor's spoiled daughter? What will you do when even your loyal lapdog finally wises up to the fact that without your father, you're just a spoiled brat with no skills to fall back on because you were more interested in being a child!"

The flinch was more pronounced now. Lierre wasn't attacking her reputation or her personally, but telling her the cold hard truth that would have come out eventually.

"What about you! You're only here because the Delacours paid the principal a massive contribution to pay for new books and supplies!"

Lierre rolled her eyes.

"For your information that donation came from _my_ inheritance, not the Delacour. As does the rent to the condo I live in. And unlike you I don't have maids or butlers to take care of my home, I do all the cooking, cleaning and maintenance myself. I at least know how to survive in the _real_ world."

That got everyone's attention. But Lierre wasn't _nearly_ finished.

"Unlike you, I don't go crying to my sponsors whenever things get too tough or it looks like I won't get what I want. I work hard to get through my daily life, and I've won my freedom through blood, sweat and far too many tears. Believe me, Bourgeois, you do _not_ want me to take you seriously enough tocompletely DESTROY you."

It was blatantly clear who the winner of this verbal cat fight was going to be. Lierre was quiet and didn't talk much, but when she got angry she became a wildfire that would sweep any opposition clean.

Meanwhile Félix was mentally recalculating a way to earn the favor of Miss Noir.

His family had been quite clear that he was to find a female of acceptable breeding and earn her favor enough to ask her hand in marriage. Lady Noir was sponsored by the Delacour, but everyone knew that she had legally changed her name. And she had to be fairly high up if she had the Delacours falling over themselves to adopt her into the family and even assist her in continuing her education. Not to mention the other Ministry higher ups.

He heard it had been quite the coup for the French Minister of Magic, giving Lady Lierre Noir citizenship.

After the way the English dogs had treated their youngest Champion, and worse, had treated Ms. Fleur Delacour while she was on their wretched island, anything that would bring shame to them was encouraged.


	5. Chapter 5

Adrian felt like he was on cloud nine, up until yet another Akuma showed up. Why did Pharoah have to ruin his good mood?

Correction, why did that annoying Félix, or Chat Blanc (his name might be unoriginal but at least he had earned the name Chat Noir!) have to start showing up?

Ladybug seemed more irritated with Chat Blanc than he was. She really didn't like strict, uptight jerks like Blanc, and seemed to genuinely prefer her original partner Noir.

Blanc seemed to be just as uptight and stiff as his civilian persona. It only served to irritate her further.

Mostly because it was pretty obvious Ladybug had zero interest in getting Chat Blanc to lighten up.

"Why is it always Chloe, Marinette or Alya that gets kidnapped?" said Ladybug to no one in particular.

"Karma? At least for the bleach blond one anyway," said Chat Noir.

"...I can buy that, sadly. But the other two?"

"Weird luck?" said Chat Noir, shooting her a winning smile.

"I would say they have Potter Luck, but last I checked there was only one left."

"Mademoiselle Ladybug, you shouldn't talk about such people in front of stray cats like Chat Noir. People like him do not belong in our world," said Chat Blanc.

"And self righteous hypocrites who are only concerned with how pure their blood is shouldn't breed with their cousins, yet they do so anyway," she shot back coldly. "Magic does not make you better than anyone else, it just makes you slightly different from most."

Chat Noir glared at his white counterpart.

Ladybug glared at him as well.

"I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and guess that you don't approve of a witch who chooses to help her fellow man in protecting the city rather than do her duty as a female and pump out children," she said with a frosty tone.

"The Ministry approves of your endeavors to end the menace known as akuma, otherwise the Obliviators would be hard at work erasing all evidence of magic during your battles," said Chat Blanc neutrally.

"Well that explains a lot. Do yourself a favor and lose the chip on your shoulder before your attitude loses any potential friends you might have gained. Normal people don't like having to deal with such formality all the time," advised Ladybug before she vanished.

Chat Blanc looked at Chat Noir.

"Don't look at me. I never liked you from the get go because you're trying to steal my place as Ladybug's partner," said Noir flatly, before vanishing.

Chat Blanc considered Ladybug's advice. He had found it slightly... difficult making friends with commoners.

Perhaps he should ease up on the formal attitude that was so effective in pure blood circles.

* * *

Adrian was rather nervous. This was technically his first date with Lierre, and a part of him felt like he was cheating on his Ladybug.

However he had the feeling that Lierre knew more than she let on about Chat Noir, but kept silent about it.

His father Gabriel had been surprisingly accepting of his son's crush, and the fact he was on his first date. He didn't really change out of his normal clothes, because he always wore the outfits his father designed. Besides, Lierre hated 'putting on airs' as she called it.

Yes, she was the adopted child of the Delacours, a family that was _very_ high up in the French Ministry and outranked Chloe's father enough that she couldn't treat Lierre like everyone else in class, but he didn't know why Félix had tried to get in good with her.

Or why his cousin barely treated him civilly because he was a 'squib' according to the family records.

"Something on your mind?"

Adrian nearly jumped.

"Just wondering why my cousin is such a jerk. He's been hinting about taking away my cat," he replied.

"He say why?" asked Lierre, eyes narrowed. Adrian had to blink because he could see her eyes, and they were a vibrant shade of green.

"Something about squids I think."

"Squib. A child born into a magical family without the ability to access it. Which is usually an indication that there's a problem with inbreeding. It's pretty bad in Europe right now, particularly the UK."

Lierre snorted.

"Idiots who treat squibs like second-class citizens because they can't use a particular power should look more into the quality of their own blood before they consider the quantity of that particular bloodline."

Adrian had no idea what to say to that, so he stayed silent.

"And considering he was foolish enough to ask the only witch in the school out, I'd say he's after a suitable partner to bring into the bloodline. If he is, then his chances of actually succeeding are worse than most. Girls don't like being considered brood mares these days," said Lierre.

"What about guys who ask girls out after another was shot down rather publicly?" Adrian half joked.

Lierre grinned at him.

"You remind me of a more mischievous kitten, and besides you at least bothered to learn more about me before asking me out. I hate signing autographs too," she informed him.

That helped him come back to the present, and the two went to listen to the up and coming artists play their instruments and sing popular or newly written songs. At one point he was even dragged into dancing with the rather light-footed Lierre. She was a really good dancer.

"I tried to learn the violin, but I couldn't keep the musical notes straight. So I took up dancing instead, and it turned out being lanky was a good thing," she explained with a wink. "Which reminds me! I've been working on some new designs for the boys in the class."

Adrian saw her pull out a design pad, and some of the sketches were really, really good.

"What is this stuff anyway?"

"Steampunk. Think industrial revolution crossed with either American Wild West or Victorian age themed outfits. I generally go with the Victorian look."

As the two of them were debating design over some coffee (for Adrian) and tea (for Lierre, who hated bitter things) they found themselves enjoying their date.

"So you have a stray cat that absolutely loves Camembert to the point he won't listen to you without it?"

"Plagg is silly, but I wouldn't trade him for the world. Even if he does love really stinky cheese."

"You think that's bad? I have a mooch named Tikki who lives off cookies!"

"By the way...is your offer to prank Félix still on the table?" asked Adrian.

"Always. People like him make me itch to prank them."

Adrian's grin was a bit evil. It made Lierre like him a bit more.

"Do you take suggestions?"

"Always!" chirped Lierre, snickering.

 _In the library..._

Félix felt a shiver go down his spine. He sighed in exasperation.

"A prankster is out to get me again," he said in annoyance.

* * *

It started innocently on a Monday.

Félix went to his locker to get something, only to get nailed with a rather juvenile flour bomb prank. One tied to his magical signature alone, which meant the prankster was at least sophisticated enough to wire to trap only to him. Hearing a yelp nearby, he amended that statement.

Apparently they had a vendetta against Chloe as well. She got hit with a harmless cocoa powder trap. She was head to toe brown, and it was sticking to her bleach blond hair in particular.

A simple cleaning charm got rid of the flour, and he could live with not having to hear the 'queen bee' coo over them for a day.

The only reason Lierre Noir wasn't the Queen Bee of the school was because she had no interest in the idea.

He walked into the classroom and barely paid any attention to the rest of the class. He was only in the same room as his cousin because it had been suggested he pursue Lady Noir.

Which from her apparent disappointment was the culprit behind the flour prank. Well her and his errant cousin.

Adrian thought he was being discreet, but he wasn't. The fact he knew about magic and what a kneazle was, despite the fact that he knew his uncle hadn't said a word to him and he doubted Lierre would have explained it to him said volumes.

Not to mention the fact that Adrian was never present when Chat Noir was out.

Lierre had more or less informed the Ministry she was the new holder of the infamous Ladybug earrings, but the Black Cat ring had yet to make an appearance.

Which meant he was unaware that the Ministry tended to keep track of who had it and when, or he couldn't make it. Or both.

It took him a few moments to notice something...off...about Adrian's appearance.

Why did it look like he had gears on his clothes? And darker colors?

Félix narrowed his eyes.

Those were not Adrian's normal clothes. His father made a point to fill his son's closet with outfits from his fashion line, and that most certainly wasn't part of it.

As if the day couldn't get any stranger, a wizard was clearly waiting outside looking for someone.

Félix had his parents look into who Lierre Noir actually was, going so far as to use favors to unseal her records.

And now an English wizard, who couldn't dress to save their life in a normal setting, was at the school.

Lierre took one look outside the window and went stock still for ten seconds, before reaching into her purse and pulling out... a phone?

Félix watched as Lierre dialed a number and waited patiently by the window for something to happen. He was not disappointed.

French Aurors, dressed in their mundane counterparts, quietly approached the black man in outdated clothing. Whatever was said was unknown, but he did seem to flash a badge to the others. He watched as the man was not so discreetly 'escorted' away from the school by some rather angry Aurors.

It was only later he found out that the man was in fact English, there to try and locate a missing witch. He was also rather belligerent and seemed to believe that his status as an Englishman made his behavior acceptable. Almost like how Americans were rather rude and openly opinionated about how other countries worked. Or attempted to 'keep the peace' through meddling and barely restrained violence.

The Americans were uncouth and often rude, but they were still rather young and learning how to be a country. England, however had been around long enough that there was no real excuse for their behavior.

Especially in recent years.

* * *

Lierre fumed. How _dare they_? HOW DARE THEY!

She was a French citizen now, and the English thought they had the right come in and take her by force because she used to live there? The goblins had long since moved all the gold from England to France, and the homes in the UK were little more than vacation spots now. She had her name legally changed, and not ever mail addressed to her birth name could reach her.

More than that, according to the Aurors, Dumbledore had convinced the current Minister that she was absolutely vital to "winning the war" which she had no part of since she left. After he 'returned' through that foul ritual, she had realized that there was no hope for her to ever gain peace while Voldemort remained in England.

Hence why she had planned with Fleur and Madame Maxime to flee England in favor of France. Thanks to a little known loophole in the educational standards of magical children, she was able to complete her magical education while maintaining her mundane one. However it wouldn't do for the English to find her again through her name. So she improvised, with the blessings of the Delacour family.

Officially and legally she was known as a cousin of Gabrielle and Fleur, except they considered her more of a sister.

She was so steamed she almost didn't noticed the new akuma to appear.

A pity she couldn't work out her anger issues on the poor bastard to become the newest victim of Hawk Moth.

Fortunately there was a gym were she could punch the hell out of a bag once she got home.

* * *

Marinette was about to finish a design when she finally noticed it on her table.

It almost looked like a Chinese puzzle box, without the puzzle. The design looked about right for something she had seen in a book once.

The magic coming off it, however, felt like the few things her mother had from her homeland.

Her mother was a witch, and not a very powerful one. Marinette had enough magic to be considered a hedgewitch at worst, but she wasn't really interesting in learning more than a few spells.

She cautiously opened up the box to reveal a beautiful comb that suddenly flared, revealing a golden and deep black bug.

"Finally! Five centuries and the stupid guardians took their precious time to let me have a new partner! So what if last time I punched that stupid flower eater in the face!" said the bug.

Marinette had exactly three seconds before she yelped and fell off her chair.

"Who, _what_ are you?!"

The bug, which looked a lot like a bee for some reason, huffed at her indignately.

"My name, little girl is Abeille, the Kwami of the Bee Miraculous. And you are the lucky chosen one who is compatible enough to be my partner."

"Wait, I think I've heard about Kwami. You mean the guardian spirits of the sacred jewels that allow you to turn into people like Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

"Do _not_ compare me to that carnivorous twit Tikki or her partner! I am an elegant queen bee, not some stupid beetle!" said Abeille offended.

Tonight was going to be a long night...


	6. Chapter 6

Chat Noir was in a bit of a bind. Mostly because of the latest Akuma, who unfortunately happened to use _pigeons_ as his weapon.

Why was this a problem you asked?

Chat Noir was allergic to feathers. And thanks to that stupid allergy, he was having trouble helping Ladybug.

In fact, they were currently trapped in a massive bird cage and his allergies were keeping him from activating his powers to destroy the bars.

And if that wasn't enough, Chat Blanc was nowhere to be found. Apparently he had duties elsewhere for the next week, so he was out.

Ladybug was stuck as well, because she had been told not to reveal magic to the world at large while in costume unless it was life and death.

Being trapped like this did not qualify.

Mr. Pigeon was about to take Chat's Miraculous when it happened. It took him a few seconds to register the sound of buzzing.

" _SWARM!"_

He quickly backed up against the cage, and Ladybug looked more surprised than anything when a massive swarm of _bees_ appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the latest akuma.

Mr. Pigeon wisely backed away, lest he be stung by the multitude of bees.

A girl with an elegant bun appeared in a rather fashionable bee outfit. In her hair was an elegant hair comb, and she wore a similar mask to Chat Noir and Ladybug.

"Well this isn't how I expected to introduce myself to the stray and the beetle, but I suppose it'll have to do," she said amused.

It took Chat a few seconds to register what she said, before he looked annoyed.

"Who are you supposed to be?"

"Call me Queen Bee. I'm a new hero here to help," she said cheerfully, but with a tone that spoke of slight arrogance.

"Mind getting rid of the birds so Chat can destroy the bars?" asked Ladybug politely.

"If I must," said Queen Bee. With a wave, another swarm of bees appeared, chasing off the pigeons. With them gone, Chat was able to destroy the bars.

"Thanks," said Chat.

"So you're another holder of the Miraculous?" asked Ladybug.

"The Bee one," she admitted. Though Abeille really didn't like her rival "Tikki" that much.

"Well at least you're a genuine new partner, unlike Chat Blanc," said Ladybug.

Queen Bee made a face.

Chat Blanc was a bit...stiff. Almost like a bureaucrat and not in a good way. He felt like someone who took enjoyment out of the minutiae that made life a little more annoying and time consuming. Not exactly the sort of person you'd want as a super hero.

"So what exactly can you do?" asked Ladybug.

"Well there's Swarm, which summons a lot of bees...and Honeycomb Hive, which constructs useful items made of...well, honeycomb and beeswax. And I should be able to fly, but it won't be for a while. By the way, does your Kwami also make unreasonable demands for food?" asked Queen Bee.

"Mine asks for smelly cheese," said Chat Noir in annoyance.

"Sugar nut, preferably cookies," said Ladybug.

Queen Bee made a face.

"Mine demanded flowers for some reason."

Ladybug felt she had to say something, if only to spare the girl some trauma from the pictures.

"You do realize that honey and beeswax are made from bee vomit right? They ingest flower pollen and then regurgitate it to create honey for their hives. It's the only known insect by product that's edible to humans...and coincidentally one of the things I try to avoid," said Ladybug.

"That is so gross."

"That is so cool," said Chat Noir at the same time.

"I recommend Honeysuckle. They grow on vines and can provide plenty of cover for you if you transform...or sunflowers, which have edible seeds," said Ladybug.

Queen Bee took that under consideration. Her mother was already thrilled at her tentative new hobby. Apparently she had a garden back in China that she had tended with love before moving to France. Besides, she could incorporate some of the flowers into her designs!

"Let's keep the discussion on hold. We can have a nice long chat under special masks later so we can save our transformations for emergencies only."

"...Where can I get a mask like that?" asked Queen Bee.

"I'll share it with you once Mr. Pigeon is dealt with. Chat Noir and Chat Blanc have their own and we usually meet up at the Eiffel Tower out of camera view around nine."

Queen Bee got a gold and black colored mask which could double as the one she was wearing now. It had a charm to obscure their real identities unless they said them out loud.

* * *

Queen Bee arrived at the tower to find Chat Noir and Ladybug having a heated discussion about animes they had seen, as well as the games they've played. Hearing her arrive, Ladybug turned and greeted her.

"What's with this mask? The guards didn't give me a second glance when I went past the restricted area sign."

"It's a standard 'notice-me-not' mask with obscuring charms. So long as you wear it, you'll be able to walk past most normal police and guards. It breaks if you cause trouble or commit a crime though. I got the spells from the magical police to make it easier for us to meet up without having to share our identities," said Ladybug.

The French Aurors were happy to share those spells once she explained why she needed them. Teamwork could mean life or death for superheroes, and as long as they didn't cause trouble the spells would hold. So letting them meet on the Eiffel Tower away from crowds was a small thing to allow.

"You're a witch?" blurted Bee.

"Yup," said Ladybug.

"I am too. A hedgewitch anyway. I know a few spells but it never interested me as much as learning design."

"Chat Blanc is a wizard from a 'pure' family, and Noir will eventually learn how to use his. I'm a half blood. So what sort of things do you like to do in your off time?" asked Ladybug cheerfully.

"Don't tell them too much! They might guess who you in real life!" said Abeille.

"Please, Ladybug over here figured out who Chat Noir is without being told, and she still hasn't busted him yet," said Plagg.

"Besides if you behave, then she'll bring treats for you to snack on while they talk!" added Tikki.

Ladybug thought it was silly not to let their Kwami interact while they chatted. They didn't have to know everything about each other, but getting to know one another now would make it easier long term in the event someone tried to impersonate them.

Trust was a big factor when you were dealing with a threat.

Ladybug held out a piece offering...a lotus blossom.

"Hmph. Well I suppose you're not too bad, for that annoying beetle's partner," said Abeille.

As they talked about inconsequential things, they were soon joined by a fourth member. Chat Blanc.

"Who or what is this?"

"I'm Queen Bee. I'm a new partner," said Bee.

"Great. The guardian seems to be handing out Kwami like toys these days," said Blanc.

Bee narrowed her eyes at him.

"Can I push him off the tower?"

"He still has a hand on the broom, so yes," said Ladybug. Bee was two seconds from pushing him off when he moved.

"Encouraging manslaughter isn't something a super hero should do," he said flatly.

"And trying to steal the identity of one with a poorly made copy of their costume shouldn't be encouraged either. You might start more vigilantes who are only going to get hurt," said Ladybug flatly.

Queen Bee winced.

"You mean like Alya and her Ladyblog."

"Exactly. The last thing we need is inexperienced civilians with no powers trying to 'help' us. We barely tolerate _you_ ," said Chat Noir to Blanc.

"This coming from a..." started Blanc, before he suddenly found himself without the ability to state what Chat Noir was. The mask's ability had kicked in.

"From a what?" said Bee.

"I'm guessing what he was about to say would have revealed Noir's identity, so the mask it keeping him from saying _anything_ ," said Ladybug smugly.

When it was around ten, the quartet dispersed. Bee found she liked having friends like them. Even if Blanc was rather stoic.

* * *

"Have you heard? There's a new superhero in town!" gushed Alya.

"I heard she has the rumor mill _buzzing_ with excitement," said Lierre coyly.

"Bad pun," said Alya grimacing. It was then that she noticed something unusual. "Hey girl, did you get a new hair accessory?"

"I found it an antique shop and bought it with my allowance. What do you think?" asked Marinette. She had put her hair back into a familiar bun to hold the hair comb up.

"You know if you want some help braiding your hair so you have something to put the comb up, I could help," offered Lierre.

"Girl, you thinking what I'm thinking?" said Alya.

"Sleepover? But at who's house?" said Marinette.

"I don't have parents, but a large selection of DVDs, surround sound and the best sound proofing. I can also order out anything we feel like," said Lierre.

"I'm in," said Alya.

* * *

 _Friday evening..._

Most of the girls invited stared at the apartment. The place was almost immaculate, the fridge was well stocked (particularly the freezer) and not with junk food. The DVD rack was filled in neat, alphabetical order, and the surround sound system was state of the art. And the less said about the massive flat screen TV, the better. Or the fact she had all the new game consoles and every popular game that came out in the past three years.

"Sometimes I forget about how rich you are. And then I see something like this," said Alya whistling.

"Is that... But that won't come out for three more months!" said Marinette staring at one DVD cover.

"Let's just say I know a place that sells them early, before they're _officially_ released to the public sector. And it's legal to boot, not a pirated copy," said Lierre shrugging.

Some intrepid wizards had the bright idea to abuse the hell out of time turners to sell movies that had yet to come out to the public. The price was slightly marked up, and they didn't do more than three months forward at a time, but it was soooo worth it for some of the more popular movies if you were impatient enough.

Lierre always hit the month-till-release shelf once a week, because the price had dropped close to what they would be on the regular market.

Still, the fact was that merely coming to her apartment (heavily warded and she got her mail at a P.O. Box in the magical alley) was about the only real indication that Lierre came from old blood and older money. Unlike Chloe, Lierre didn't flaunt her influence or money, and she was more likely to wear common, comfortable clothing than rich name brand clothes that cost a fortune for a single shirt that doesn't look that great.

Or something she made herself.

"So what should we do first?" said Lierre. Left unspoken was that this was the first _real_ sleepover she had ever had in her life.

"How about we figure out what we're going to eat, then have a movie night?" said Marinette.

It wasn't long before they had a movie playing on the massive TV, a few open boxes of pizza open on the table, and the girls chatting away while they enjoyed dinner. Noir fed well that night, the mooch.

Tikki managed to use the cover of the movie's sound and their distractions to steal several cookies. It was one of the few things Lierre didn't order. She had made several batches before they had even come.

By nightfall, Lierre was expertly braiding Marinette's hair in several designs that used her new hair comb to keep it pinned up.

It was the most fun she had since finding this apartment and settling in Paris on her own. And of course once Gabrielle found out about the three day sleepover, she immediately crashed the party. Without Fleur around, the chateau was decidedly boring and the house was considered very safe. Besides she wanted to see Ladybug and the new Queen Bee in action.

And yes, she was totally shipping Ladybug/Chat Noir as a power couple. They were so cute together!

* * *

Chat Noir couldn't help it, he was blushing like crazy.

There was a crazy blond girl with this weird effect around all the straight males that made them go gaga over her cheering him and Ladybug on.

To be more specific she kept throwing out 'hints' about how cute a couple they were. Ladybug seemed to find it hilarious, but some of the things she was saying were a bit...well, racy.

Chat Blanc looked more annoyed than anything, and Queen Bee looked about as red as he was.

"Why are all the guys acting weird around her?" asked Bee finally. It was really bugging her seeing all those men run into sign posts, walls and cars whenever they got within ten to fifteen feet of her.

"She's part Veela. She has that effect on straight men and girls who liked their own gender," shrugged Ladybug.

"What's a Veela?" asked Chat Noir.

"A Subspecies of humanity that has a unique pheromone that induces lust and false love around others, particularly men. By and large it only happens in the females, so naturally it causes normal girls to hate them with a passion and the boys to act like complete morons," said Ladybug helpfully. "They have a habit of clinging to their female friends rather strongly, because of this."

The second that Gabrielle realized that Lierre didn't hold her allure against her, she had practically adopted her on the spot. It had made the decision to help her quite a bit easier.

As such she was considered an honorary Veela.

Ladybug suddenly had a wicked grin on her face.

"Just don't let her get on a roll in private. If you think she's bad _now_ , in private she's ten times worse and she doesn't just hint at things."

Chat Noir and Blanc shared a look, before both shivered at the implications. Queen Bee and Ladybug snickered.

Boys were such wimps.


	7. Chapter 7

Marinette came back to school with an upbeat attitude, a new set of ideas on how to style her hair around the comb (which got the Abeille seal of approval, to her amusement) and a new outfit to wear to class thanks to Lierre.

It wasn't in the steam punk genre she loved so much, but rather in some rather obscure flora patterns from China and France, a nod to Marinette's duo heritage.

Abeille was really happy with the seeds Marinette had growing in her small roof garden. Lierre loved gardening too, and had some seeds that grew edible flowers.

"Trying to impress Adrian, you frumpy nobody?" said Chloe snidely.

Maybe it was because of the comb, or a holdover from the slightly arrogant Abeille sticking to her, but what she said next had Lierre cackling.

"Why, jealous that your attempts to hang over him like a dog in heat claiming a bone haven't worked, and he's obviously more interested in Lierre than you?"

The slap caught everyone by surprise, but what happened next would send the rumor mill nuts.

"To the principal's office! Both of you!"

Chloe was seething, clearly planning to use her father's influence to get out of trouble. Marinette couldn't believe what had just happened, but Abeille was rubbing off on the normally clumsy girl.

When they were in the office, Chloe was fully intent on pulling rank. Unfortunately for her, the Principal wasn't as weak willed as his subordinate. He let Marinette speak first.

"Chloe has been harassing almost everyone in class for months, and seems to target me in particular. She also seems to think that Adrian likes having her drape herself all over him, when everyone can see he barely tolerates it. I only called her out on that fact and she slapped me," said Marinette.

"You called me a bitch!" said Chloe indignant.

"No, I said you were acting like a dog in heat," clarified Marinette with a flat tone.

"Enough! Ms. Bourgeois, please refrain from any further outbursts. I will get to the bottom of this matter and settle this fairly before the end of the day. You are both excused until then," he informed them.

Chloe shot a venomous look at Marinette, who felt nervous.

* * *

For the rest of the day, various classmates were discreetly called into the office, and then sent out a few minutes later. Including Adrian, Lierre and Sabrina, who was Chloe's sycophant.

The girl's relationship with Chloe was too one-sided to be called a friendship.

As if Marinette being catty against Chloe hadn't shocked the class enough, seeing Chloe called to the office a second time for the day and then _suspended_ for a week had everyone floored.

But the shocks kept on coming. When the week ended, Chloe found her personal cell phone _confiscated_ during class hours and that if she tried to cheat by having Sabrina do all the work, she would be kicked out of school. More than that, she was expressly forbidden from using her father's connections as the Mayor of Paris to boss the other students around.

The Principal had been appalled at the fact that the majority of these...akuma... had been created either directly or indirectly through the girl's actions. It was long past time that the spoiled blond brat got a reality check, before she got too old to learn that actions had consequences.

More than that, Sabrina was to attend therapy for a few months to undo the damage Chloe had done to the girl's psyche. Rumor had it that the sessions were being done courtesy of an anonymous sponsor.

Chloe seemed to be completely shocked when she found out that not only was her father not reversing the decisions, but that she was having other things she had taken for granted away until her attitude changed.

He wanted to be re-elected again, and that was rather hard to do if people were questioning his decisions based on the fact that his "precious princess" was such a spoiled brat that she used her father's connections to bully the students and cause even _more_ people to turn into the akuma for Ladybug and her companions to fight.

Lierre felt rather smug, because thanks to her the Principal could get away with the rather harsh punishment. She had been one of the last called in, and she offered to pay for Sabrina's therapy sessions and make up any difference if the Mayor attempted to remove the school's funding.

It was a pity that no one had stood up against Dudley like this. He might have become less of a bastard.

* * *

"Are you still in shock at what happened to Ms. Bourgeois?" said Félix.

"She seemed really shaken up," said Adrian, petting Ténèbres out of habit.

"There's nothing you can or should do for her. She has made her bed, and now someone in authority is forcing her to lie in it. I, for one, am glad she has ceased those incessant nicknames. If she cannot learn how to stand on her own two feet after having the metaphorical rug pulled out from under her, then it's her problem," said Félix flatly.

Adrian knew that, but he didn't have to like it. He had noticed Chloe's bullying and had done nothing about it because he didn't want to lose his childhood friend.

He turned on the TV and saw another akuma attack. Ladybug had yet to arrive, and he noticed Félix looking at him.

"Don't bother. Go transform and I'll meet you a few blocks away," he said holding up a hand, forestalling any excuses.

Adrian blinked.

"What..."

"We both know that the two cats that follow Ladybug are cousins, so there's no need to give an excuse that would serve no purpose. I suspect Ladybug is also aware, but had chosen not to call Noir on his identity for security purposes. It's also why she handed those masks out to her partners, so that they might hold a modicum of security from observers."

Adrian decided to move past his confusion, and turn into Chat Noir. No need to reveal Plagg to Félix.

" **Plagg, Claws out!"**

* * *

Ladybug was on her way back from dealing with the current headache when she caught a glimpse of something through the window.

Chloe was taking the sudden shock really hard. Finding out that she had _zero_ friends at all with Sabrina forbidden from seeing her had come as a nasty blow. Her eyes were puffy and her hair disheveled.

Ladybug felt a smidgen of pity for her. While there was no way she'd approach her as Ladybug, Lierre knew that sometimes all you needed was a shoulder to cry on and someone who listened without being judgmental to get through a bad day.

She'd give Chloe a few more days before she helped bolster the girl's shattered confidence. She knew too well what it was like to be all alone without any friends, feeling pressured by everything going on around you with no hope in sight.

* * *

Chloe found herself dragged into an unoccupied room and the door locked. It was one of the music rooms, so it had excellent soundproofing. She was terrified because she couldn't call out with the hallway being empty and her phone taken.

Then she saw her captor.

"Come to mock me, Noir?" she said, trying to put on a brave face.

Lierre had a flat look on her face. It took Chloe a few moments to realize she was holding tissues in her hand.

"Try blowing your nose first. You look like a train wreck."

Chloe tentatively took the tissue, and felt a little better once the evidence of her crying had been cleared.

"What do you want?" asked Chloe, trying to hide behind her mask.

She found herself being guided by Lierre to an open chair.

"Ms. Bustier is aware I'm holding you captive for the next hour or so. Which is why we're going to have a nice long talk. For the next forty-five minutes I want you to pretend you're not the Mayor's daughter or the bratty girl you've been acting for the past few months. I want you to try being _Chloe_."

The blond stared at her in complete confusion. So Lierre tried another method.

"In here you don't have to pretend you're anything but Chloe, a girl in my class. You have my word that nothing said here will be repeated outside. None of your petty acts to get attention will be held against you."

"Why?"

"I had a cousin who acted _exactly_ like you. He was so spoiled rotten that by the time we were seven none of the teachers bothered trying to correct his behavior. He thought it acceptable to take what he wanted when he wanted, and to act like a tyrant, and his parents not only allowed it, they _encouraged_ it. They gave him everything he wanted, permitted almost every whim, and acted like his bad behavior was perfectly acceptable. He thought it was hilarious to use his only cousin as a punching bag simply because he could."

Chloe stared at her in shock. Lierre lifted up her shirt to reveal a nasty scar on her left side under her bra.

"I got this when I was eight and he shoved me against a piece of metal on the park playground," she said flatly, in a dead tone. She pulled her shirt down. "As far as I'm concerned he died the moment I was granted citizenship in France."

Seeing Chloe still didn't get it, Lierre brought up someone who reminded her of the girl.

"Back in my previous school there was another blond named Malfoy who got away with a lot of bullshit because of his father. His favorite saying when he didn't get his way was 'when my father hears this'. The teachers did absolutely nothing and he got away with a lot of things he shouldn't have because of his father. One of his favorite insults was saying that those with mixed blood were 'dirty' and then harassing them until they had to go to the infirmary. And still the teachers did nothing. Malfoy treated the school like his personal playground and they let him. He also thought it was hilarious to harass me because my mother was a commoner who married into an older, rich and established family."

"So what do you want?"

"I know what it's like to have no friends. I also know _exactly_ what it feels like to be put into a corner because of outside pressure and have to put on a mask just to survive. The only thing I want to do is to help you try to fix the damage you've caused with your behavior without having to hide behind the pretentious bitch mask you've created around yourself."

Chloe was lost, confused and she didn't exactly trust Lierre. However it was hard to fake evidence like that nasty scar she had.

Lierre unlocked the door. She then wrote down a number and handed it to Chloe.

"When you're ready to talk, or just want to get away from the pressure of being the Mayor's daughter, call my number. I have a guest bedroom you can stay in while we talk, and Noir doesn't mind if strangers hug him."

"Noir?"

"My pet cat."

* * *

If Chloe thought that school was difficult after the shock of having a good chunk of her personal power stripped by the principal and the teachers, it paled in comparison to the snide back handed comments made by the high society types that thrived at the functions her father made her attend for his re-election campaign.

Word had already spread, albeit quietly, about the incident and her punishment.

The adults were mature enough not to mention it, but their children were cruel. It was an uncomfortable moment when Chloe realized that she would have done the _exact same thing_ had she been in their shoes.

It made the harsh reality of what she had become that much more painful.

At the first chance she had, she left the party. Once she was in her room, she cried her heart out and didn't stop until she was so exhausted that she fell asleep in her pretty dress.

A dress she considered less than worthless considering the blow to her ego she had just taken.

She reached into her purse, and the number Lierre had given her fell out, balled up.

At first she had pushed it aside, not wanting any pity from her once rival. But after seeing the scorn and mockery in the other girl's faces at her misfortune, she realized something.

There had been no pity or mockery in Lierre's face when she explained why she had kidnapped her for a good forty minutes. There was only empathy and understanding. And Lierre rarely spoke about her life before England, being incredibly tight lipped about it.

It had taken a private investigator just to find out anything about her when she first stood up to Chloe. Finding out the girl ranked her had been enough to get Chloe to back off, to a point.

Seeing the innocuous piece of paper in her hand, Chloe realized she had her cell phone half-way dialing the number on it.

Could she trust Lierre?

Seeing her tear-streaked face in the mirror, she had another more sobering thought.

Did she really have any other choices?

She dialed the rest of the number.

Hearing the phone pick up, Chloe tentatively said "Lierre?"

" _Need someone to talk to?"_ said Lierre. She sounded half asleep.

"Is this a bad time?" asked Chloe nervously.

" _I gave you my home phone for a reason. I can handle losing a bit of sleep."_

"I can't believe I'm asking this... can I come over to your house? I can't stand being here alone."

" _How long do you want to stay? I have some clothes you can borrow if you need to."_

"I can bring a bag. Can... can I stay for a few days? I really don't want to be in this mansion while daddy's on another re-election bid."

Her father was always so distant to her, and only brought her out for parties. Parties like the one she had fled from.

Lierre rattled off an address. It was in one of the better parts of town, so her dad wouldn't be too angry. She could be there in less than twenty minutes by walking.

Chloe realized she looked like a wreck, so she packed an overnight bag and got cleaned up. Then she slipped out of the mansion before her father returned, only telling the matron of the house she was staying a few days with a classmate.

By the time her father came home, Chloe was long gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Lierre looked at the once haughty blond. She looked terrible.

"If you're expecting me to say something about your appearance, don't. Come on, I'll show you my home," said Lierre. Chloe followed her blindly into the unknown.

What she found had her floored.

The place was obviously owned by someone rich...but there was a feeling about it. A feeling her own home lacked.

It felt...warm. Inviting. Safe.

"Go ahead and sit down," said Lierre in the kitchen.

"Wow, your place is really clean. Who does the upkeep?" said Chloe, trying to make small talk.

"I do. I also do the grocery shopping and laundry. Not to mention the cooking. Here."

Chloe found herself with a cup of cocoa that smelled heavenly. She waited a few moments before cautiously took a sip. Almost immediately she relaxed. The heat and the taste did wonders.

Suddenly she felt something warm and furry on her leg. It was a gorgeous black cat with silky fur and warm eyes.

"That's Noir."

She cautiously petted the feline, only to find it curling on her lap purring.

"He likes you. So what happened?"

Maybe it was the cocoa, or having the cat purring contently in her lap. Or it could have been the sheer amount of crap she had to put up at that awful party.

Whatever it was, once she started talking about how awful it was, she found she couldn't stop. Everything came pouring out, and it wouldn't stop until she had run dry.

She didn't know when it happened, but she found herself sobbing on Lierre's shoulder. It was warm, it was accepting, and it held zero judgment.

Lierre was rubbing Chloe's back, letting her get the stress and the shock out of her system.

Tonight had been a nasty wake up call for the girl, and only time would tell if this made her stronger, or broke her completely. Fortunately this happened early enough that there was still a chance to save her from herself.

* * *

"Anyone notice something...off...about Chloe?" said Marinette.

"You mean outside of the fact that she's been avoiding everyone and being really quiet lately?" said Alya. It was beyond weird and went straight to freaky.

Out of the girls, Sabrina looked the most worried. But the therapist had been clear that she was to avoid Chloe for at least a month. Looking back on it, she realized she had let Chloe boss her around far too much to be healthy. But she did care for the blond.

Unnoticed Lierre watched this all in silence. She put her skills at observation to see who picked up on the cues Chloe was giving and who didn't.

Sabrina was one of the first to pick up on something wrong, which Lierre felt was a very good sign.

Meanwhile Chloe was thinking over the advice Lierre had given her. If she felt like she absolutely couldn't come back from what she had done, or wanted to make a completely clean break, then she needed to do what Lierre did when she moved from England to France.

She needed to reinvent herself from scratch. Wipe the slate clean to the point where only those who genuinely _knew_ her would recognize her for who she was.

It was why Lierre hid behind her bangs. She was too well recognized from a photo, but hiding her eyes made it easy to blend in. Be ignored to the point she could pass for normal.

When the month passed, Lierre quietly pulled Sabrina aside.

"Chloe is...!"

Sabrina found herself hushed by a slightly annoyed Lierre.

"No one knows this yet, and I want you keep this as quiet as possible. Her dad was rather unbearable according to Chloe when he found out she wouldn't attend any more parties while this mess is still going on. But while I got her to open up, she needs someone who _she_ has always considered a friend. And you were her first choice."

Out of their classmates, Sabrina was the first one to pick up on something was wrong with Chloe.

"What happened?"

Lierre looked more than a little pissed off.

"Her _father,_ " Lierre spat out the word like it was a curse, "Is under the mistaken impression that Chloe is throwing a major tantrum over what happened at school because she refuses to attend another party. Because he is up for re-election, he wants to parade her around like a prized pet. Fortunately my home isn't listed and they only have a P.O. Box for my mail."

"What can I do?" asked Sabrina. While she understood her fascination with Chloe wasn't healthy, she was more worried about the girl than anyone else.

"You need to be there for her. She wants to amend for what she's done, especially to you. But first we need to open the lines of communication. If we do this right, she'll be able to issue a public apology to the class and hopefully mend those bridges. But I want you to know that if she starts to fall back on her bad habits, you can use me as a shield and I'll gently correct her before she slips too far. The path from being a bully will be a hard one, but she'll be better for it," said Lierre.

Sabrina nodded.

"I'll do it!"

* * *

Chloe's face when she saw Sabrina said volumes. Lierre let them talk in private while she made dinner.

Then Chloe's phone rang. She visibly trembled either from fear or anger was uncertain. It was her father.

After the first attempt from the idiot trying to track his distraught daughter through the phone's GPS, Lierre had turned it off and made it very difficult to track Chloe whenever she was inside the loft. She turned it on before school, but the point was that she liked her privacy.

Chloe put it on speaker, a habit Lierre had gotten her into. It was better for witnesses.

Sabrina's eyes widened as she heard the tone of the mayor's voice. He was condescending, arrogant, and annoyed that his daughter wasn't joining him at those fancy parties.

Finally Lierre had enough, and Chloe hung up in rage.

"Oh my god Chloe, I had no idea your father was like that!" said Sabrina in sympathy.

"The man may be your father, but for a parent he's an absolute idiot. Which is why we're going to give him a dose of much needed medicine," said Lierre with a vindictive glint.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Agree to show up to the next party, but tell him you're bringing a couple of friends. If he wants you to be humiliated that badly, then this is non-negotiable. Then once we're there, I'll give him the wake up call he needs. You can hang out with Sabrina and explain who's who to her or something. If things get too bad, you can use me at a shield from the others. I speak condescending bitch rather well, and I know how to deal with them. With vapid idiots, it's all about rank and showing you're better than them. Besides, Gabrielle always enjoys ripping such brats apart," said Lierre evilly.

The first time she was exposed to such parties, she had been disgusted. The second time she had gone with Gabrielle and Fleur, and had enjoyed ripping the vapid princesses apart in a way they couldn't retaliate for. She had a knack for it, to Gabrielle's vindictive delight.

Which had lead to an amusing series of lessons from Antoinette at finding the weak spots in their personalities and ruthlessly exploiting them until they learned she was a tiger their pampered house cat.

Sabrina looked rather worried. She had a dress, but it wasn't nearly as fancy as the ones Chloe used to show off.

"Don't worry Sabrina. We're in a design school after all. Why not use this as a chance to show off our classmates and earn some much needed brownie points with the girls you two have been snubbing for years?"

"What do you have in mind?" asked Chloe.

"I'm calling Marinette and Alya in. And before you say anything, I will have Alya turn off the cell phone and give you a minute before you make a sincere apology. Remember, I have the pull that I can rope them into this fancy party as well."

Chloe looked nervous, but she knew Lierre was right. She was tired of her father's attitude, and there was no way she was going to that party alone.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later..._

Marinette didn't know why Lierre had called her and Alya over, but something told her it was big.

The moment she saw Sabrina, she had her suspicions. But what she expected to happen and what actually _did_ were two different things.

Marinette and Alya stared, jaws dropped and their faces in disbelief.

Chloe, the school's former queen bee and complete brat had _apologized_. Sincerely and genuinely APOLOGIZED to them for treating them like crap.

"Am I in the twilight zone or something?" said Alya.

"It's called therapy and having someone who knows what they're doing. Not all brats are that way from birth, contrary to what you might think," said Lierre.

That and calming potions helped a lot.

"She will be making a formal apology to the rest of the class soon, hopefully. But until then we wanted to enlist your help. Her father is being an absolute fool and won't give her time to learn how to adjust her behavior _appropriately_ so she's not so bratty. No offense Chloe."

"None taken."

"So what do you need us for?"

"Well we're bringing Sabrina to the next party, and I highly doubt she'd have a dress to pass inspection from those vapid girls that collect there. We go to a school that encourages learning how to design things, so why not put that to use and encourage a brand if you take it up as a career?" said Lierre.

She had Marinette hooked. It wasn't for Chloe and it gave her a chance to promote herself as a designer to some very rich people.

"Oh, and I have plenty of material for you to work with and a sewing machine."

"Let's get to designing!" said Marinette cheerfully.

"If it comes out right, I could swing a few invitations your way too. I mean I have a standing invite to these ridiculous things all the time but I never use them. And knowing Gabrielle she'll come just for the show of me ripping the Mayor a new one in public," said Lierre far too cheerfully.

"Wow. You look absolutely fabulous Sabrina!" said Chloe.

Sabrina looked uncomfortable, likely because she wasn't used to fancy things like this. The dress was absolutely gorgeous and looked like it came off the machine from a very famous designer. It was fancier than anything she had ever owned before. It was almost too pretty to wear.

Chloe had Marinette modify one of her older dresses, mostly because she didn't feel like buying a brand new one.

However what Marinette had designed for herself really took the cake.

"You're really heavy on the bee and flower theme aren't you?" said Lierre amused.

"I love Queen Bee!" said Marinette defensively.

"Well in that case..."

Lierre walked out in a dress clearly designed as a tribute to Ladybug, down to the spots.

Alya was rather excited. As a blogger she thrived in these sort of events. And she planned to hang around Marinette.

"Right girls, let's get to plotting~!" said Lierre cheerfully.

* * *

Gabrielle felt a shiver. There was an unholy disturbance in the "Force" as Lierre had cheerfully put it. Something evil was about to be unleashed in the social circles, and bring unmitigated chaos.

She grinned evilly. Lierre was about to 'brave' the evils of high society again. The last time she felt this, her big sister had thrown boulders into the gossip pond that took _months_ to calm down, and she had the most delightful shows to watch.

"Lierre?" questioned her mother.

"Lierre."

Antoinette sighed, before a wicked grin flitted across her face.

"I'll see which party she intends to spread chaos and get you a ticket to watch the show."

Gabrielle squealed.

Her father looked at them before wincing.

"I don't know what you're planning, but keep me out of it," he said flatly.

* * *

 _With Lierre..._

"So what's the deal with..." started Alya, before she was quickly silenced by a hand over her mouth.

"No names. Her father's being a particularly foolish brand of idiot, so I let her crash at my house since he insists on destroying her self esteem in large chunks rather than let her work through this on her own. She reminds me of a cross between my cousin and my former rival."

"How so?"

"Both were bratty, spoiled by their parents, and both felt self-entitled because their parents were well off and they were never told no. I'm using this as practice in case I ever have a chance to redeem those two louts."

Marinette narrowed her eyes at Lierre.

"You haven't been adding..."

"Only a few drops of a calming solution. She was a nervous wreck when she finally got brave enough to call me."

Marinette nodded to herself. Calming draughts were among the few acceptable potions to use on mundanes.

"Which reminds me, I should probably invite the boys to watch the show that's almost guaranteed to happen," said Lierre cheerfully.

"What show?" asked Alya.

"Oh I always cause a major stir at these things. Last time it took _months_ for the ripples of the chaos I created in my wake to calm down."

"You cause a scene at these things?" said Marinette.

"More like her wicked tongue tends to flay the proverbial skin off anyone foolish enough to attract her ire," said Chloe. Seeing the looks they were giving her, she held up her phone. "Someone was kind enough to post a 'warning' video about Lady Black."

Alya and Marinette watched the video, their expressions quickly turning into a mixture of horror and glee. Some of the girls in the video were _worse_ than Chloe, and Lierre took them out with a few well placed words!

"Wow."

"All I can say is that I'm glad she doesn't frequent high society parties more often," said Chloe with a wince.

"Oh this is going to be good!" said Alya with an evil grin.

"I can tell you're going to love sitting with Gabrielle when I tear people a new one," said Lierre smirking. She spotted the boys, and grinned wider.

Might as well share the "love" with them so they could have some fun watching the show too!


	9. Chapter 9

**Yes, I was aware of the error yesterday. I was one of the first to notice because I like to read reviews as they come in, or at least whenever I get onto the internet again. It's one of the first things I do if I've posted a chapter recently and left it sitting overnight.**

* * *

"Explain to me again why we're going to a function I hate?" said Adrian to his cousin.

"Lady Black invited us, and you're the one who found the video after Alya mentioned it."

Adrian snickered. He had been surprised at how efficient Lierre was at dealing with those snotty girls. He hated these parties since they were always simpering over him, and it had only gotten worse once puberty hit.

Lierre had cheekily told him he was free to use her as a human shield, and after seeing the video he had been more amused than anything else. He hated girls like that.

He felt nervous and he made a point to avoid functions like this whenever he could get away with it. Félix, the headache, looked perfectly natural. Then again he practically lived in outfits like this.

"They're here," said Félix.

Adrian's heart caught in his throat when he saw Lierre. She was in a dress that made him think he was looking at a more sophisticated Ladybug, only the comparison was in a subtle, and pleasing way. On her right hand was a very old, very expensive ring with an elaborate crest. It wasn't the Delacour crest, but it looked several centuries old at least. The gold was tarnished with age. She wore sensible shoes meant for comfort, not appearance, but were acceptable for functions like this. Her hair was done up enough that her face was exposed, save for her forehead, and she wasn't wearing her usual contacts.

It took him a moment to notice the other girls (Marinette was wearing a fetching dress that reminded him of Queen Bee), but his eyes kept going back to Lierre.

Félix observed his cousin, and realized that it was unlikely he would win the favor of Lady Black without a massive fight. And considering Chat Noir's full potential, that was an unacceptable risk.

Adrian had only just tapped into his powers. When his magic was accessible to him, he would be a devastating powerhouse.

Far easier to simply choose someone else to help him carry on the Delacroix bloodline.

The question was who to chose? And how to approach her?

* * *

Chloe made a point to stick close to her friends, particularly Sabrina whenever she could. Her self confidence was still "shot to hell" as Lierre had so eloquently put it. And while Sabrina was still undergoing therapy for the damage Chloe had unknowingly caused, her presence was enough to bolster her own spirits enough to endure this.

It was less than two hours before the rather snotty girls she was ashamed to say were once her good acquaintances spotted their group and the 'weakened' Chloe and made a beeline for them. They were so intent on Chloe they didn't realize the danger until it was far too late to escape.

They had entered Lierre's rather clever trap.

Alya had the camera trained on Lierre as she and Gabrielle circled the vapid and shallow girls like tigers about to pounce on their prey. She had a rather vindictive grin on her face, but there was a good chunk of understanding in her eyes.

If Chloe was forced to befriend girls like this after her dad became Mayor, then it was little wonder she had turned out so... bitchy.

Lierre's words were like sharpened daggers aimed at the girls who had come to capitalize on the fact Chloe was 'weak' in self-esteem right now. Seeing them turn pale before backing away, Chloe was certain of one thing.

She was very, very glad that Lierre had chosen to take her under her wing rather than cut her down when she was vulnerable.

But that wasn't the main show that the group was looking forward to. Oh no, that happened when her father caught sight of Chloe and chose to reprimand her in quiet undertones while pretending to be worried about her.

Ever since he became Mayor, the only thing he really cared about was _keeping_ his position.

The Mayor came within speaking distance of his daughter, before Lierre intercepted him.

It took a few false pleasantries before she casually informed him _she_ was the classmate Chloe had chosen to stay with rather than her own home.

It was the second he suggested she bring his daughter home that Lierre struck.

"Really? Sending her to a home that didn't even notice she was in no condition for a party, much less this pit of vipers? You didn't even notice your own daughter was distraught over what happened at the school, or the fact that the girls she associates here are part of the reason she because so unpleasant in the first place. You sir, have no real understanding of teenagers, much less female ones. If you did you wouldn't force her to attend these blasted parties just because you want to show off what a good father you are to the press!"

Gabrielle had found popcorn, somehow, and they were all munching on it rather than the fancy snacks at the party.

"And let's not forget the fact that you basically encouraged her bad behavior by lavishing her with expensive gifts rather than spend any actual time with her. You're the Mayor, so you of all people should understand the value of prioritizing people above things! You were so busy trying to keep your post that you couldn't see your own child was upset and depressed over having a reality check!"

With each quiet word, the Mayor winced visibly. His only saving grace was that she had elected not to say this at a volume level that would allow _everyone_ to hear it.

Instead her tone and demeanor made up for the lack of yelling. This was a true Noblewoman who had found him lacking as a parent and was giving him a much needed dressing down to remind him that there were more important things in life than titles and positions.

The fact he was being told off by a sixteen-year-old girl in public just made the lesson hit harder.

Her tone softened.

"If you _really_ want to portray yourself as a devoted father, then maybe it's past time you scheduled a proper day off with your daughter. It's hard for the press to mistake you spending time away from your campaign to spend time with a daughter you barely know," said Lierre.

"I'll take that under advisement."

"In the meantime, Chloe will be staying with me for a bit longer."

Chloe watched her father, a man she thought all powerful, back down from a girl her age. It was a sobering sight.

* * *

Lierre was having trouble sleeping.

Apparently Riddle was tired of her not playing to his script, and so decided to make it impossible for her to sleep soundly without visions of everyone she once cared about in England being brutally murdered and tortured.

He seemed slightly confused when all he got back from the link was a "knock yourself out".

Lierre hit the calming draught a little harder than normal. It made mediation possible, considering it was pretty obvious Riddle knew of their odd connections.

For the past couple of days, she had been rather irritable. Fortunately most assumed it was that time of the month. But the longer it went on, the higher the risk she ran of becoming an akuma, if only until they figured out something was wrong.

Which was why she carefully asked Tikki about what they could do if she somehow was turned by Hawk Moth.

"Well there is one thing you could do, if only temporarily. But it would be risky. You might lose your connection to the Miraculous for an undetermined amount of time."

"What is it?"

"You would have to completely remove yourself from the Earrings. That way if something happens and you end up an akuma, I could give them to Queen Bee for a short time and hope she takes to them. Not only would it insure that he never gets his hands on your Miraculous, but if we're lucky it'll also preserve your real identity. But like I said it's risky."

"The risk of me being turned are too high. I never understood my connection with the man who murdered my parents. And until that is gone, the risks of me being targeted by Hawk Moth are too high. I like to keep my options open."

Tikki didn't like it, but she could sense the malignant presence that had been hanging around her partner. Lierre was right, it was better to have a plan now, rather than scrambling later if the worst happened.

And Lierre was a big fan of having all her options laid out, with the facts clear on worst case scenarios. She also made a point to insure that her teammates had the facts straight and would often jump into the fray if she even _thought_ there was a risk they would be in life-threatening danger.

There was no dispute on the fact that Ladybug was the leader of the four heroes of Paris. She had the charisma, the charm, and more importantly the experience in how to handle dangerous situations.

The problem was that she was the ONLY one who could purify the akuma without it getting loose and re-infecting the victim. It had yet to happen, thankfully, because Lierre had the foresight to listen through the entire "orientation", but it was still a risk.

Which meant she would have to warn Queen Bee just in case.

* * *

 _Later..._

"Wait, what?" said Queen Bee startled. Abeille bristled.

"You are _not_ stealing my partner!" said Abeille to Tikki.

"I'm not trying to. It's just that there's a dark aura that's been getting stronger around Ladybug, and she's worried that Hawk Moth might try to use it to turn her into an akuma. How exactly are we supposed to capture and purify the akuma butterfly if _Ladybug_ is the one you're fighting?" said Tikki flatly.

That had them all silent. At least, until Chat Blanc spoke.

"Is it You-Know-Who?" he asked cautiously.

"There is a connection between us, and for some reason it's only been getting stronger lately. I'm worried he might make a bid to try and use it against me, and with how Hawk Moth chooses his victims..."

"Who's..." started Noir.

"A terrorist from the sixties with a rather strong Nazi-like mindset in concerns to the 'purity' of bloodlines. For example, he would attempt to convince me to join his group, but he would kill you and Queen Bee on the spot. He dislikes people who don't fit certain...criteria," explained Blanc, his tail twitching in agitation.

"Just be blunt and say the truth. Riddle hates people who aren't born from already established lines that have been heavily influenced by several instances of inbreeding and he has a dim view of squibs, half bloods and mundanes," said Ladybug flatly.

Queen Bee made a face.

"Oh, _him._ My mother warned me about him when I first started learning spells. How if I ever went to England I should avoid certain groups because they don't take mixed bloods like me very well."

"Anyway in the event that the connection does attract Hawk Moth and his akuma, I'd rather you knew the plan before it happens just in case," said Ladybug.

"What's the risk?" asked Noir.

"If the taint gets too bad, it might severe the connection to the earrings, and I won't be able to transform. I would still help, but I wouldn't be able to purify akuma anymore."

"So if Tikki brings the earrings to Abeille..."

"Assume the worst has happened and that the taint was enough to turn me into an akuma. In that case do whatever you have to in order to purify it. Even if it means my real identity would be exposed to you in the aftermath."

"Aren't you concerned at all? If your identity gets exposed, something bad will happen!" said Bee.

Ladybug's expression was rather...strange. At least to well adjusted people like Queen Bee. Noir recognized it pretty quick.

"That's only because the exposure of your identity puts your families and friends at risk. My family is all dead, my adoptive family lives under heavy wards, and if he's stupid enough to go after my friends the gloves come off," said Ladybug.

Seeing the stunned look on their faces, she shrugged.

"Come after me, fine. I can handle anything they try to pull. But I'm rather protective when it comes to my friends."

* * *

 _A few days later..._

Lierre was irritable, unreasonable, and had been attacking her supply of chocolate like a woman on a mission. She hadn't realized that running out of her usual methods of handling this time of the month would be this terrible. She would never let this happen a second time.

Chloe had thankfully moved back in with her dad, now that he was taking time off from his campaign to spend time with her.

It became abundantly clear that neither side knew how to interact with each other, as they had spent a lot of time making up excuses for why their schedules were filled. It would be an awkward time before they became father and daughter again.

A sudden, wicked thought occurred to her. One she absolutely _had_ to do, if only for the amusement it would give her.

For the first time in years, she wrote a letter to Sirius and Remus, using her old name and tied it to a box that was only temporary thing.

But not before she made sure her...present...was secure in the owl's claws. Nothing tied it back to her outside of the name.

 _In the "secret" headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix..._

It was in an Order meeting that it happened. An owl flew in and dropped a box with a letter to Remus. If not for the handwriting on the outside, he wouldn't have opened it.

" _Dear Remus_

 _Sorry I haven't contacted anyone in a while, but I'm enjoying my magical education far more than I would have at Hogwarts. Anyway I saw this muggle medicine and immediately thought of you. Who knows, it might help with your monthly...problem._

 _Also, tell Sirius I expect pictures._

 _Ivy._

 _P.S. Don't bother to track the owl. Any letter sent back will go to a one-time Post office box that will leave no traces back to me. Constant Vigilance!"_

Sirius, after hearing that, immediately got his camera before Remus opened the box. He wondered what Ivy had found that could help his furry problem.

Everyone waited expectantly for him to open it. What they found inside would have Sirius' cousin "say my first name and die" Tonks in stitches, with him soon after.

Inside the innocent box...was a full, unopened bottle of _Midol_.

Remus twitched.

"Isn't that the muggle medication that women used to help with their periods?" said Hermione in disbelief.

Sirius twitched, before he started shaking.

"That's my little Imp!" said Sirius laughing his ass off.

"Hey, there's chocolate underneath it!" said Fred, grinning like a loon. That only made Sirius laugh harder.

"And a note," said George, opening it up to read. _"Here's some chocolate to help ease the crankiness. Love your favorite Imp. Also, sent a similar package to Fenrir Grayback. Hopefully he opens it at a meeting."_


	10. Chapter 10

**Happy Birthday to Have a Little Feith! Thanks for being such a regular on the reviews page!**

* * *

Félix had the feeling it was his turn to gain one of the mysterious jewels when he found an old Chinese man trying to reach for some books on the top shelf at the library. The bracelet on his wrist was enough to identify him as a Miraculous holder, likely the guardian.

However he had been raised to be a polite, if bit stuffy, young man. There was simply no reason to leave an elderly man to struggle. And from the way his peers simply ignored him, averted their gaze or outright went out of their way to avoid it, it was suddenly clear why only a few gained one of the rare jewels.

" _What book are you looking for sir?"_ asked Félix politely in Mandarin. Like Adrian, he had been required to learn a variety of common languages, and China had the highest number in sheer population. He was fluent in more than a few languages.

The man's eyes light up at the sound of his native tongue.

" _I was looking for a specific series. I'm rather fond of old legends you see,"_ he replied.

Félix found a few books he knew had _accurate_ legends and pulled them off the top shelf.

" _I believe these might hold your interest. Some of the current ones have several inaccuracies or were proven to have been misinterpreted."_

" _Thank you. I didn't catch your name."_

"Félix, _sir, of the_ Delacroix _family."_

" _Thank you again_ Félix," said the Chinese gentleman.

Félix's suspicions about the odd man in the library were confirmed when he returned after dinner to find a small box in his room. Inside was a necklace with a fox tail...which lit up and a small vulpine figure emerged.

"Man that was a great nap! And best of all it's my turn to come out!"

"A fox. Exactly how many was he holding on to anyway?"

"All but the Moth Broach and the Peacock pin, which fell into the wrong hands," admitted the fox.

"Do you have a name?"

"Kitt!"

"My name is Félix. I suppose we're partners now."

 _Later that night..._

Chat Noir was the first to speak when he saw the newest Miraculous holder.

"Well at least you're not copying me anymore," he said reluctantly. He could live with Félix being a permanent member of the team so long as he wasn't trying to steal his thing. One cat was enough. Two was too many.

"Well, at least you've _earned_ a spot as part of the group rather than they way you joined it unannounced like before," said Ladybug.

* * *

It happened suddenly. So suddenly that it was impossible for them to activate one of the many contingency plans.

One moment she was having a particularly rough day after she found a howler in her temporary post box (how it got through was a mystery) and had to deal with that mess. Fortunately she had silenced the area around her in time to avoid anyone knowing her real name. That plus with how late she was to class (earning a detention) and the stress of getting zero sleep thanks to Voldemort meant it would only take one little thing to alert Hawkmoth.

That last straw was a fresh surge of visions...and the resulting migraine...courtesy of whatever link was between her and Voldemort.

His rage and hatred was enough to mask her own cheerful and slightly apathetic aura (because really, what did she have to complain about after leaving a horrible situation behind by moving to Paris in the first place) and attract the attention of an akuma.

She was reaching down to pick up a snake broach in the shape of an ouroboros that she had dropped, almost missing the akuma touching it mere seconds before she did. This explained why they were never able to avoid the stupid things.

Because she was wearing the earrings (not active) and held a Miraculous, there was a brief, if painful war in her body as the power of the Moth Broach warred with the Ladybug Earrings. Without Tikki there to help, the akuma won.

However something happened that no one could have expected.

The earrings created a sort of bubble, separating Lierre from the powers of the akuma that had just been created. And because of the partial protection of her own Miraculous, the secondary effect of being granted powers from the Moth Broach were suppressed to the point that Hawk Moth had no control over the new akuma.

* * *

 _With Chat Noir and the others..._

It was only a miracle that this had happened _after_ school hours. The biggest question was... where was Ladybug? All Tikki knew was that something bad had happened and she couldn't find her partner.

And boy hadn't that come as a shock. Their Kwami knew their real identities, but had respected their wishes to keep it secret from their partners.

Though after this, they were definitely going to have a long talk between them about their actual names.

"Where's Ladybug?" said Volpine, formerly Chat Blanc.

"We don't know, but we suspect the worst case scenario happened," said Bee.

"Tikki said something bad has happened, but she doesn't know what and she can't find her partner," said Chat Noir.

"Any idea what the newest akuma is calling themselves?"

"Something about flight from death and they seem to have control of snakes. Conjured ones, thankfully," said Chat Noir. Which was rather weird considering the victim appeared to be female.

Volpine stopped cold and starred at him.

"Flight from death? Was that the exact translation," he asked, with a feeling of absolute dread in his stomach.

"Well they were calling themselves 'lord Voldemort', so..." started Chat Noir, before he saw Volpine pale even more.

"What powers have they demonstrated and how much damage have they _currently_ caused?"

"Well the only thing they've been able to do is summon snakes and control them, though it looked like she was pretty angry about the meager sparks coming off her fingers. It almost looked like a squib trying to cast magic with someone else's wand," said Bee after a moment.

Volpine looked somewhat relieved, but still openly concerned.

"Thank the gods for small mercies. It sounds like we're dealing with a shade of the terrorist from the UK from the sixties. The good news is that either the transformation into an akuma didn't take, or it's possessing someone with a strong will and they are actively resisting by shutting down their magic. Either way, we need to be _extremely_ careful about this fight."

"...This sounds bad."

"This is a man who didn't hesitate to use a curse known for one hit, one kill on a toddler simply because they stood in his way of complete domination of the UK," said Volpine flatly. "You have _no_ idea how bad it could get if they have access to magic. Let's just hope whomever they are possessing can keep that contained and keep him stuck with only summoning and controlling snakes."

* * *

 _Inside the bubble with Lierre..._

Lierre was watching Voldemort actively try to _kill_ rather than capture Chat Noir. Hawk Moth was an idiot and he had basically told Voldemort who to aim for if he wanted "power". Either that or he really hated Chat's annoying puns. She thought it was cute, but some might find it annoying.

Still, she was worried about her friends. It was bad enough he had somehow resurrected himself before she left England. They didn't need _two_ copies running around!

Unbidden, the bubble minimized the fight between Voldemort and the others. Instead it seemed to show...memories?

On a hunch, Lierre observed her memories.

Scenes of her getting her own loft and having multiple wards set around it.

Her first _real_ sleep realizing that no one knew where she was save the Delacour family.

Entering a _normal_ school and going through an entire year without a single adventure that ran the risk of getting her killed.

Making friends who didn't really care about magic or her status.

Annoying Chloe purely for the fact she reminded her of Malfoy.

Having Antoinette praise her for passing her mundane and magical tests and treating her like a third daughter, without once being smothering.

Fleur keeping her appraised of England and her now former friends.

Cutting all ties with her past and legally having her name changed, thus making a true fresh start.

Meeting Adrian.

Becoming Ladybug for the first time and flirting with Chat Noir.

Saving people and being _thanked_ for it without any hints of the same lies that had followed her before by her peers.

Knowing that she was making a difference and that she wouldn't be alone ever again.

The copies of the pictures Sirius sent with a letter telling her he understood why she couldn't bear to return to England.

With each memory the bubble around her grew brighter and bigger. She could see spots forming as it became tinted a light pink, and the bubbles were clear.

So much so that she saw the shade that had taken over her body, as well as a much wider picture of Chat Noir and the others. Her fledgling love for Adrian and his alter ego turned the pinkish bubble a fiery red that any Gryffindor would appreciate.

She had only one chance to regain control or force this shade out of her. She had to make it count. Seeing Tikki near Queen Bee gave her the perfect idea of what to do.

The darkness of the shade wavered as a light color started to emerge. Suddenly her voice rang loud and clear enough for them to hear her.

" **Tikki, Spots On!"**

The purifying effect of the Ladybug Earrings countered the perversion of the Moth Broach. The light and love within Lierre was enough to break freak of the shade, though some abilities remained.

She burst out of a red area near the stomach, and when she saw it the first thing that came to mind was...

"Now I know how an alien feels after a face hugger attaches itself to some poor victim."

Chat Noir couldn't help it, he had to laugh because he caught the reference. So did Queen Bee, though she only let out a light giggle before turning her attention back to the shade.

Once Ladybug was on her feet, her glare could have melted ice with it's intensity.

"You tried to take over my body, keep me from sleeping for _days,_ harass me with fake visions of my old connections in England, and you trespassed in _my_ city. I don't care if you are using the akuma to stay stable, you're going to PAY," she said darkly.

Volpine, Chat Noir and Queen Bee shared a look. This wasn't a fight between Ladybug and an akuma. This was a female of the Black family with a vendetta and enough motive to actively pursue it.

Only an idiot would get between that. They quietly moved back, though they didn't want to look outright like a retreat. In any case their transformations were running low after their exhausting fight with the shade.

They were content to be mere observers in this one.

Though it was weird when Volpine pulled out what looked like a badge and showed it to some adults wearing cop uniforms. Whatever he said to them was effective, because they cordoned off the area and made very, very sure that no electronic means of recording video would work. Sure there would be witnesses, but those not in the know would be quietly obliviated of any sign of magic, barring what was normal for Ladybug to use in public. Even the satellite feeds above Paris were temporarily knocked out.

When it came to containment of a magical fight in a heavy muggle population, the French were a bit more on the spot than their English counterparts.

What followed was short, painful and absolutely _brutal_. And it was only after the shade was beaten within an inch of their life that she took out her Lucky Charm to fix the damage the shade caused.

Ladybug looked rather pleased now that she had gotten out most of her aggression and fury of her system.

Chat Noir looked at her with respect and more than a little healthy amount a fear.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," he said nervously.

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that. It would take something rather monumental to get on my bad side enough that I would take my anger issues out on you. I find having a punching bag helps wonders when it comes to venting," she said cheerfully.

"Same time as always?" said Volpine, nodding to the monument.

"I'll bring snacks."

* * *

 _On the Eiffel Tower, usual spot..._

Queen Bee and Chat Noir were rather nervous. After what happened and the fact they had scrambled trying to find Ladybug only to discover one of their classmates had never been seen leaving the school (Lierre made a point of being seeing leaving or entering places) and putting the dots together, they realized that there wasn't any reason _not_ to share their identities. At least among the group.

The thing was that this was a public area.

"Sorry I'm late. Anyway we're having a change of venue tonight to limit the chances of someone seeing us and freaking out. No point testing whether or not the magic sticks without the masks on," said Ladybug.

"So where are we going?"

"Observation deck, the magical one anyway. Doesn't get many tourists and it's open all night to fliers. Unlike the normal one the magical deck has a _ton_ of charms for safety, mostly to prevent suicides and awkward questions," said Ladybug with a shrug.

"Uh... I can't fly yet," said Bee.

"And no offense but there's no way I can climb up without Plagg's help," said Chat Noir.

"Which is why we're _flying_ the normal way. It's not like it's that hard and you'll mostly be holding on to me and Volpine," said Ladybug, holding out a broom. Volpine flew down and landed on the metal.

"...Dibs on Ladybug," said Chat Noir before Bee could catch her wits. Bee blushed at the thought of hugging a boy and sitting behind him while flying.

Ladybug got on her broom and waited for Chat Noir to get on behind her. He was blushing, but there was definitely a grin on his face. This was the closest he had ever been to Ladybug, because he was a gentleman and wouldn't dare cross a line. He had to snicker when he heard Bee squeak as Volpine's tail wrapped around her, securing her to the broom.

Flying without having to worry about landing was _amazing._ He could feel Ladybug's amusement and delight that he enjoyed it as much as she did.

"If you like this, you should see Quidditch."

"You are not getting him hooked on that infernal sport," said Volpine irate.

"And with that, any chance you had with me just vanished," said Ladybug flatly. "Anyway, I figured this was the perfect chance to introduce ourselves properly."

There were a few tables with food. Plagg descended on the plates of pungent cheese like a hungry wolf. Tikki was already devouring plates of cookies. Abeille attacked the sugared lotus blossoms, among others. And when Kitt separated from Volpine he went straight for the fried tofu.

"How about we all remove the masks at the same time?" suggested Ladybug.

"1," said Chat Noir, reaching for his mask.

"2," said Queen Bee nervously.

"3," said Volpine.

When they opened their eyes, shock and recognition were the first things to hit. Lierre was rather smug at having guessed their identities before this.

"No way, Adrian?!" said Marinette.

"Marinette?" said Adrian in surprise.

"Seems the only ones surprised by the identities are Ms. Dupain-Chang and my cousin," said Félix.

"Wait, how have you been acting as Ladybug _and_ Lierre? You were in two places at once when that watch was broken!" said Adrian.

Lierre smugly pulled out a strange hourglass from under her shirt.

"Time turners, the ultimate trick to insuring your secret identity is safe. With this you can go back hours at a time, so long as you don't cause a paradox. The only catch is that it's really draining on your magic."

"That is so cool...and yet totally unfair," said Marinette. She kept missing classes to turn into Queen Bee.

"It isn't if we can find a way to discreetly excuse ourselves an hour later to meet up," said Lierre.

"Huh?"

"Time turners can take more than one person with them, though the cost remains the same," clarified Félix.

"Well that's really useful!" said Adrian.

He blinked with a black blur attached itself to Lierre.

"You are my absolute favorite human, next to Adrian of course!" said Plagg, more than a little hyper.

"Uh, what did you give him?" asked Adrian, a little weirded out.

"Oh dear. You didn't add any magical catnip for him to find did you? He always gets really...loopy...when he's had that," said Tikki at the same time.

"This is hilarious," said Abeille to Kitt. He nodded, an evil grin on his face.

They always got the best blackmail on Plagg when he had magical catnip.

Aside from Plagg acting like a hyper, playful kitten (at least until the catnip wore off) Lierre considered the meeting a smashing success. It didn't hurt that she added extra protection by way of the Fidelius charm just in case the secret slipped out. Even if someone _did_ find out their superhero identities, they wouldn't be able to tell anyone, and they would have a thirty second time period to wait before their faces could appear on camera.


	11. Chapter 11

She should have expected this, really. After that howler found it's way to her now defunct post box, the Order of the Phoenix had sent someone to see if they could locate her.

Never before was she glad that she wore her bangs long enough to hide the top half of her face, or that her fashion sense had radically changed.

At least it was someone she knew how to avoid. Hermione was very easy to deal with when it came to getting rid of her.

She briefly entertained the idea of toying with her, but in a way she realized that a clean break was better for everyone. Paris needed Ladybug. She was the only one who could deal with the akuma before a complete mess was made.

And really, the English should have cleaned up their own mess before forcing people to do it for them.

Lierre smiled when Adrian's car pulled up.

"Hey Nell, wait long?" he said once he had gotten out.

"Just got here."

Because she had expected something like this to happen...and so he could take small steps forward to asking her out as her _boyfriend_ , Adrian had taken to calling her 'Nell'. Which was short for her middle name Coccinelle. Plus it was a way to get back at her for all the times she called him "kitten".

The bookworm's head whipped around when she heard her voice. It was rather ironic that the one who ended up saving her from being busted so easily was her former rival.

After Chloe made a formal and sincere apology to the class...which they had accepted after a few minor incidents that Lierre had to smooth over... it wasn't uncommon to see her hanging around Lierre more often than not. The only difference was that everyone could tell that she trusted Lierre and saw her as an equal, not just her rival.

If only Malfoy had been this easy to convert.

"Lierre! Adrian! Hurry up or we'll be late!"

"Coming Chloe!" said Lierre.

"So what sort of career are you looking into?" asked Adrian as they headed to class.

"I was thinking a fashion designer who has a discreet business in therapy or psychiatry."

Adrian considered that.

"Considering how easily you turned Chloe around, despite the fact she was so jealous of you, I could see it," he admitted.

Lierre had a weird ability to understand people at a deeper level. It was almost scary how easily she read people. Félix once asked if she was an empath.

She wasn't, but she was scarily good at convincing people she was. It was a trick she had been forced to learn in England when she was a kid to avoid getting hit. And she had gotten help from a pro who claimed to be psychic but was an expert at "cold reading".

It was how she knew to help Chloe. The girl was depressed and with the type of people she hung around, would have more than likely become suicidal before someone noticed.

* * *

 _At the teacher's office..._

"A doctorate in the mind? Well you have the grades and the temperament for it, and no one is going to argue with how quickly you turned around that situation with Ms. Bourgious..." said Ms. Bustier. She looked at Lierre. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"I thought I could turn it into a side business. You know, reform fashion models on the side and drum up business for my designs? The statistics for models with eating problems is astronomically high, and it doesn't help that people have a misconception about 'beauty'. In the old times a woman with a rather 'healthy' figure and round curves was considered appealing and the stick figures of today would be considered unhealthy...which isn't that far off come to think of it."

"Well it is an interesting career choice, I'll give you that. And you do have the capability to do it. I'll wish you luck when you graduate, and do remember to send a letter every now and again, okay?" said Ms. Bustier.

 _In the class, self-study..._

"So what did you tell the teacher?" asked Marinette.

"Fashion designer, with a side business of psychiatry and therapy."

Alya blinked.

"Seriously?"

"I have a knack for reading people, an understanding of darker human emotions and I have experience at deciphering someone's intent. I have a lot of practice."

Her friends, rather than ask why she would even _have_ a lot of practice noticing negative emotions, wisely let it drop. Some things were a bit too personal to ask awkward questions about. At least until they blew up in your face.

"Besides, I have very few interesting hobbies."

"You're telling me. You're the only person I know who actually owns _silkworms_. I can never look at silk the same way again after finding out how it's made," said Chloe in disgust.

"You actually have silk worms?" asked Marinette fascinated. She was half-Chinese after all, so she knew something of how the intricately made silks were created. Her mother thought it was a good lesson for her daughter, since she wanted to become a fashion designer.

"She's just mad because she found out _exactly_ what was in those calming teas she kept drinking."

Marinette suddenly choked back a laugh.

"You didn't."

"She showed me how to make them with a witch hat on. I never knew that Wiccans handles such gross things," said Chloe.

"You actually had the hat on?" said Marinette with a giggle.

Lierre grinned as she calmly switched her steampunk goggles with a witch hat that had a steampunk theme.

"Fear me, for I am a witch," she joked.

Marinette stared at the hat, before she snickered.

"It's still more fashionable than half the things I've seen on sale and it goes with the outfit," she admitted.

Lierre had a wicked grin as she pulled something else out of her bag and swiftly put it on Marinette's head before she could react.

"Huh?"

Alya cackled before quickly taking a picture. Chloe held back her laughter behind her hand, but she was still snickering.

"What? What did she put on my head?"

"Well I didn't use the cliché egg under hat trick," said Lierre with a wink. That had Marinette scrambling to find out what was on her head.

It was a witch hat, except it was a bit more decorative than any she found in the stores.

There was a clear flower embroidery and even a few pins, but the thing that caught your eye most was the bee on one of the flowers with a tiny golden crown on it.

"What's with the crown?" asked Chloe.

"It's to show she's the Queen Bee," said Lierre with a straight face. "Though personally I wouldn't want to be a queen bee at all."

"Why not? The queen has all the power!" said Sabrina.

"Do you know what her job _is_ though?" said Lierre. Seeing the blank faces, she grinned wickedly.

Marinette was in for a few restless nights when she heard _exactly_ what it was that a queen bee did in a hive. Because she then had to look it up and found out that Lierre wasn't joking...worse, the internet had graphic images that kept her up for days.

"Queen bees are the broodmares of a hive. Their only job is the continuation of the hive. The worker bees feed her so that she can keep reproducing babies day in and day out. While she is the ultimate power in the hive, she also had the worst job," said Lierre.

It took a few moments for that revelation to sink in. Sure having a big family was the dream of many girls...but being stuck only having children and nothing else? Or worse, have as many as a decently sized hive and being forced to raise them?

Yeah, that didn't exactly sound appealing.

"How do you know all this stuff?" said Alya, a little green looking.

"Animal Planet. You find the most _fascinating_ things when you're an insomniac with access to high speed internet and have a lot of time on your hands. Though personally I'm a bigger fan of ladybugs," said Lierre with a straight face.

"Can we change the subject, please? Because I've spent enough time with Lierre to know she well get onto topics that make us extremely uncomfortable because they're full of interesting facts we really don't want to know about just yet," said Chloe. She made a face. "If Gabrielle is a bit on the perverted side, Lierre is firmly on the creepy and 'why do you even know this?!' side."

Lierre's innocent smile said volumes. She loved knowing random things that made people immensely uncomfortable. It was hilarious to see people try to change the subject purely just to get her to _stop_ talking.

"How bad are we talking about here?"

Chloe's face went blank.

"She once went into a graphic description of menopause with my father not three feet away and all the biological changes that the girls who were harassing her would go through once their looks gave out. You've never seen people turn that green and she kept raising her voice level until the entire room heard the conversation. Thank god I had prior experience so I was able to get Sabrina out of there before she got hit with the brunt of it," said Chloe.

"You're kidding," said Alya with some respect to Lierre.

"If you think that was bad, she also went into _the_ most graphic and horrifying description of what happens to a girl's body when she's about to give birth, including details on what comes out," said Chloe. She had not been there for _that_ , but she had heard about the aftermath.

"You are _evil_ ," said Marinette impressed.

 _With the boys..._

"What are they talking about over there?" asked Nino.

Adrian heard a few keywords and winced.

"Trust me on this, you do _not_ want to be in hearing range if Lierre decides to go into one of her moods."

"Why?"

"Let's just say that quite a few of the snotty high society crowds would LOVE to shut her up when she gets on a roll. If her sister is a bit...raunchy...then Lierre goes for maximum mortification and mental trauma. Luckily she likes us enough to warn us if we're going to be within the blast range," said Adrian.

"The last time someone annoyed her she launched into a graphically detailed explanation of what happens when children are being born. Specifically all the things that potentially could come out, and not just the baby," said Félix. He grimaced.

"What?"

"The last time she was harassed by an Englishman, she went into far too much detail about how woman's menstruation cycle works in a voice loud enough to be carried for a full block. As a distraction technique it is quite effective, but it also draws far too much attention."

Seeing the expressions of the other boys, Félix felt a pang of empathy with them.

Lierre was a quirky, quiet, powerful woman. And after seeing her fight with the shade, he was very, very glad that she was on his side.

She didn't talk often, but when she did her charisma kicked in almost instantly. She had a level of empathy for others that bordered on the instinctive level. She could read them better than they knew themselves. Because of her origins, she had a fascination with the Victorian era...more specifically the modern take on it.

It was a seamless mix of muggle trends and England's backward view on acceptable clothing.

After hearing the way she mortified all those high society people, Félix was beyond relieved she had zero interest in him and more interest in his cousin Adrian.

"Hey Félix, you're up next!" said Nathaniel.

* * *

 _With the teacher..._

"Well your grades are in the top of the class, and you put on your application that you wish to fulfill your duties as head of the family, which means there's not much career advice I could give you. So instead I'll make this a lot less awkward for both of us. How have you been fitting in with your classmates?" asked Ms. Bustier.

"It's...different. I've only ever been to private schools and tutors until now to prepare me in my role as the next head of the family. And this is the longest I've spent with my cousin in years," said Félix after considering it. Then he made a face. "Of course I am finding my father's quiet suggestion rather difficult to deal with."

Upon learning that Félix had no interest in Lierre as a wife, they had suggested he find an acceptable woman of good breeding to marry.

So far all he had to choose from were a bunch of vapid girls of 'high' breeding that were of little use beyond producing potentially idiotic children, a reformed bully, and some girls with common lineage but enough intelligence to appeal to him.

Really, the only girls who could _possibly_ understand the other side of things without it being spelled out to them were Lierre, who was considered "taken" by Adrian, or Marinette who ranked just above hedgewitch but had the benefit of being of mixed blood.

Unlike their English counterparts, very few French Pure blood families put as much stock in the 'purity' of the bloodline. So long as they had an active magical lineage (thus making them 'half bloods') and came from a distinguished line of magical blood.

Marinette qualified. Her mother's family came from a long, if not very noteworthy line of magical blood. The fact they shared the same destiny as Miraculous holders made it easier. She was a big clumsy, but that was something he could live with. She was also an intelligent conversationalist.

"How are you doing Adrian?"

"I'm doing great," said Adrian honestly. He had _normal_ friends. He was making good progress to his first girlfriend. He had freedom he never dreamed of as Chat Noir. And, as of last week, he had tentative control of a power he had never known he had.

Félix had taken him to get tested. He had a weak, but functioning magical core. And it was only getting stronger every time he changed into Chat Noir.

As a result, Adrian had the 'joy' of being tutored personally by Félix every night in magic.

"I see you didn't fill out the career path on the application. Do you have any idea of what you would like to do?" asked Ms. Bustier.

"I've never really had a chance to think of what I would like to do. Everything's always been planned for me," said Adrian frowning. It was part of the reason he wanted to go to a normal school with other kids his own age. He wanted to branch out, have a little unpredictability in his life.

If he could, he'd make being Chat Noir a full time job with modeling on the side. But what were the odds of that happening?


	12. Chapter 12

Hermione was getting frustrated. The only lead she had on that damn Ivy was the chocolate wrapper, which she had only just remembered was an exclusive brand sold only in Paris. And only for limited time sales.

With that in mind...and because Hermione was the only member who had been to Paris recently enough to know her way around and speak passable French...she had been sent to Paris to locate where their wayward Savior went.

Her last prank had been a bit...tacky. But it still had Sirius laughing his ass off when he got over the shock of what she had done.

Just thinking about that horrible howler that air-headed girl had sent made her blood boil. Who was crass enough to explain in far too much detail exactly what women went through each month, and then went into even _more_ detail about menopause?! Anyone with a lick of muggle education had been mortified, and properly so.

It was something that one should only discuss in private settings with an awkward talk about how babies were made. It had been the package that she sent with it that had practically screamed where it had been sent.

She claimed it was for Remus, to help him 'cope with that time of the month, since he still had trouble with it despite the pills'.

In retrospect that was probably what had set the laughing lunatic known as Sirius Black off.

About the only thing she found off about the city was a quartet of heroes that ran about using obvious magic, and everyone _knew_ about it. What were the Aurors doing?

After two weeks of pointless searching, she finally opted to vent her frustrations at the blatant rule breakers hiding under the guise of "super heroes". Starting with their leader, Ladybug.

* * *

"Your dad wants to _what_?" said Lierre staring at him.

"He said he wants to meet my potential girlfriend," repeated Adrian nervously.

Actually what he said was that he wanted to be sure that this Lierre Noir was worthy of his son's affections before they officially started dating. While her status and appearance were acceptable, he had heard things about Lierre's attitude.

Mainly how she could cause an entire party to derail with subjects best left not discussed in public.

"Why?"

"I think it's mostly because of your habit to leave an entire party full of mortified people behind," admitted Adrian.

"I only do that whenever someone annoys me too much. Besides, their expressions are always worth it. But don't worry, I highly doubt your dad would cause me to pull one of those bombs out. If he really annoys me I can be really...catty," said Lierre.

"That was a bad pun," said Adrian, though he believed her. She only ever started on one of those far too informative rants whenever she was around people that she really, really didn't like. And she generally did it around the snotty types, preferably in large groups. Otherwise she just got really 'catty' as she put it.

Chloe was an amateur before she was reformed. Lierre had been trained by the best.

Lierre gave him a wicked grin.

"This coming from the Prince of bad cat puns?"

Adrian blushed, but he couldn't help it.

"So when are we supposed to meet him?"

"Tomorrow. After school."

"I'll dress appropriately then," said Lierre.

* * *

 _The next day..._

Adrian had to admit, when Lierre said she would dress up appropriately, he hadn't expected this. Everyone knew she was a huge fan of the steampunk genre, to the point that she usually modeled one of her newest creations at least once a week.

But this was clearly a tribute to Ladybug.

Her shirt and skirt almost looked like Ladybug had changed her outfit. Even her socks and shoes gave that impression. She had hear hair up in a tasteful braid with bright red ribbon that kept it pinned up. And to add to that impression, she had two ladybug hair pins keeping her bangs off her face.

"Someone's a fan of the leader of the Miracle team," said Alya.

The Miracle Team was the nickname that was given to Ladybug and the other Miraculous holders. Ladybug was considered the leader because she was the only one who could capture the akuma and repair the damage without having to use taxpayer money.

Chat Noir was her second in command/love interest.

The people loved them because they didn't force them to clean up after the battles and because they made a point to fight the possessed people in spots that minimized civilian involvement. The fact Ladybug was naturally charismatic and knew what she was doing only made her popularity soar.

It didn't hurt that she occasionally did interviews or allow people to take pictures of her, provided they were willing to arrange an appointment first and didn't try to interfere in their protection of the city.

"Ladybug is awesome," said Lierre.

"...Can you make a Queen Bee outfit?" asked Marinette sheepishly.

"Sure!" said Lierre.

"I forgot, you're a bigger fan of Queen Bee. She's pretty cool, but Ladybug is better," said Chloe.

Adrian had to hold back a laugh. Lierre had cast something called the "fidelius charm", so that the only ones who could reveal their identity was themselves.

Which was why immediately they tested it to confirm it was working. Once assured it was, they reminded each other of their identities.

Even if anyone figured out Lierre was Ladybug from her outfit, they wouldn't be able to tell anyone.

Still, he felt like he had ladybugs in his stomach waiting for the other pin to drop after school.

What he found in the house had those ladybugs turn into raging panthers. His dad had one of his other models there, a boy many girls thought of as 'handsome'. He was also more comfortable admitted he liked the ladies and was rarely without a girlfriend for long.

When girls compared the two of them, Adrian sometimes found himself second-best to Louis, but he really didn't care about that sort of thing.

If he had a girlfriend that wasn't picked or forced on him, he wanted it to _last_. He wouldn't dump her for the new hottest thing.

He had a feeling of dread as to why Louis was here. His father wasn't above setting people up to prove a point.

* * *

 _A few hours later..._

So far it had gone rather smoothly. Mr. Agreste seemed rather surprised when she asked him his honest opinion on her designs, after discreetly pointing out that while she had the capital to start her own line, it was better to have a second opinion from someone who already knew what they were doing.

He thought they were adequate, but would need some work before they were ready to hit the main stream and have even a remote chance to create a name brand.

Rather than show disappointment, Lierre looked rather pleased. She had asked for an _honest_ opinion after all.

But then came the hiccup.

Well, it was less of a hiccup and more of another sign that Lierre was the perfect girl for him.

Adrian had been highly suspicious of Louis Francois being in the house, especially when his father almost _never_ brought his models home. The only times he did usually involved a test of sorts.

Which was why Adrian went into the room with the security cameras, and found his father already there. That only seemed to confirm his suspicions of a set up. Fortunately for his poor nerves, Ténèbres had snuck in behind him and was currently on Adrian's shoulder. Plagg was hiding in his pocket.

Adrian watched as Louis smoothly turned up the charm, an act he had seen far too often while on the job. If her eyes had been visible, the idiot would have seen her face go blank.

That was always a bad sign. The longer he tried to be subtle, the more she started displaying all the class signs that she was going to rip him a new one.

The more she stayed silent, the more Adrian relaxed. His father watched with some confusion until he realized his son was genuinely enjoying the show, because he _knew_ what was coming next.

Lierre finally stood up, raised her right hand, and then _slapped_ Louis firmly before reading him the riot act, never once dropping her proper young lady persona. Her voice never raised above normal conversation tone and her words hit to the quick.

Louis went from arrogant braggart to pale and terrified in a matter of minutes.

Adrian snickered. It served him right for flirting with _his_ Lady.

"You knew she was going to do that," his father said. It wasn't a question.

"She has a lot of tells when she's really mad, and she has the patience of a saint. When it goes off it's worse than any bomb because she can hit hard and deep with her words," said Adrian.

His father Gabriel was silent, observing the monitor for a bit before he moved to leave the room.

"You have my permission to court her."

* * *

Adrian racked his brain for the perfect place for a first date, until finally he picked a place he had always wanted to go to with friends, but was always too busy for.

The Disneyland in Paris.

So after classes were over, he asked her out on a proper first date, a sort of test run for them officially being boyfriend and girlfriend.

While he was socially awkward and not used to being around friends, Lierre had enough practice to fake it.

Besides, it was anything but the boring places that he usually ended up in. Sometimes he hated being a model. And while Lierre enjoyed shopping like any other girl, she preferred to _make_ her own clothes.

At least she knew they would always fit.

So the moment he mentioned Disneyland, he was completely caught off guard by the squeal from Lierre.

Then he remembered a slight...issue.

"How will I keep the fans from swarming us?"

"You leave that to me. With a few minor charms, no one will be able to connect Adrian Agreste, famous model, with Adrian, a boy out with his new girlfriend out on a date," said Lierre with confidence.

* * *

It had taken Hermione the better part of a week before she was able to pinpoint a likely candidate for Ladybug's real identity.

She never saw the girl's eyes, but she had similar earrings and she had seen her wearing an outfit that had made the comparison child's play to make.

She had just left the school after saying good bye to her friends when Hermione confronted her. Unseen, a certain reformed blonde watched the entire thing. More than that, she recorded it.

Chloe didn't hear most of the conversation, but it went from a rather weird discussion about Ladybug to the English girl becoming shocked about something before attempting to read her the riot act.

That part she heard clearly because Lierre's voice was loud enough.

" _Allow me to ask you this_ , Granger _. Are you my mother? Am I related to you in any way, shape or form that allows you to dictate how I live my life or where? Do I owe you_ anything _that would give you the audacity to believe you have any say in my life whatsoever?"_

Granger, if that was the girl's name bristled. It made her look like an angry squirrel with how bushy her hair was. Did the girl not know of hair products to tame that mane of hers?

" _No. Neither you or that pathetic_ Order _of yours has any claim on what I do or how I live my life. I've started fresh and frankly I see no reason to involve myself in your petty squabbles."_

" _You're underage! Don't you care about your education!?"_

Lierre's face went flat, which was a sure sign she was absolutely pissed. This girl had gotten on Chloe's bad side and she didn't even _know_ her.

" _Did you not see me exiting a school? Besides I past the_ N.E.W.T. _'s months ago. By law I am a full adult, and therefor don't have to return to that backwater school. And for the record,_ Granger, _I summoned the Aurors twenty minutes ago before I left the school."_

Chloe saw some policemen with a strange badge approach them.

" _Everything alright, Lady Noir?"_

" _This English girl accosted me outside the school about my side job, and seems to believe I owe her enough to return to England_ ," said Lierre, almost spitting out the last word venomously.

Chloe didn't hear what the police said, but whatever it was made the other girl pale considerably.

Lierre seemed to sigh with relief when the girl was escorted away. Then she grinned at Chloe.

"Caught the whole thing, did you?"

"Who _was_ that?"

"Hermione Granger. My former best female friend. She had a superiority complex that made her believe she knew best just because she could memorize book knowledge, but she could never repeat it when it came to practice."

It didn't help that Lierre had been so desperate for friends when she was younger that she had attached herself and allowed a lot of Hermione's bad habits to continue.

After extensive years of therapy, Lierre had learned that Hermione wasn't the best friend for her. She was bossy, arrogant and assumed she was always right. She also unintentionally encouraged some bad habits, like having them rely on her for all their research needs.

It had been because of therapy and actually listening that the Delacours came to a horrible conclusion. One that Fleur was unhappy to report wasn't too far off the mark.

As they _were_ French, the family was well aware of the story of Jeanne of Arc.

It was abundantly clear that Dumbledore intended for Lierre to act as a martyr for his cause, and didn't care whether or not the girl survived the final encounter with Voldemort.

Why else leave her completely in the dark about her heritage, or her responsibilities as the head of her family once she turned fifteen? Or force her to stay in a house where she was hated, when he could have easily given her an apartment with some damn good wards?

No, it was clear Dumbledore had gotten too big for his own britches if he thought sacrificing an innocent girl because he was too damn chicken to clean up after his own mess was acceptable.

Hence why Fleur was told to come home, with or without her new husband, if she even remotely thought he would use her like he had Lierre.


	13. Chapter 13

"Ivy Potter is in Paris," said Hermione.

"Are you sure?"

"She's attending a fairly well-to-do school for design, and she's established enough to be fairly well known in the area. She also speaks French with a perfect Parisian accent."

There was the minor fact that she suspected the bratty girl to be Ladybug, who Hermione had been firmly informed that she was a legal superhero and therefor allowed to perform small acts of magic. But thanks to the fidelius, Hermione couldn't speak of Ladybug.

Legal superheroes, what a joke.

"Excellent! Perhaps William and his wife could go and fetch her then. No one would question their presence in France."

Sirius chuckled darkly.

"Too bad for you they're already _in_ France, visiting Fleur's parents. They were quite eager to introduce the baby," said Sirius.

"Does anyone know how to get into contact with them?" asked Dumbledore worriedly.

"They're behind some of the best wards in France. And I know Fleur mentioned something about anti-howler wards," said Fred.

After realizing what her mother-in-law was like, that was the first thing to be upgraded. It didn't help when they took in Lierre as one of the family, and they found out that Lierre was considered honorary family.

* * *

"She's soooo cute!" squealed Lierre.

Bill was staring at Lierre as if he had seen a ghost.

"She's been with your family since the Tournament?" he asked his wife in disbelief. All this time they had the answer to where Ivy was, and they had no idea.

Fleur sniffed.

"As if your fellow countrymen would know how to treat a lady properly. Lierre was positively stunted in England, and she's flourished since mother took her to see those doctors. Gabrielle told me Granger had stumbled across her, so I knew it was better to make a discreet return before that blasted Order learned about our connection."

"That reminds me. Guess who got a boyfriend~!" said Lierre cheerfully.

"You finally nab that cute boy you mentioned in our calls?" said Fleur pleased.

"Well it's not going to be official. He's taking me to the Disneyland in Paris for our first date, and his father gave him permission to court me, in his words."

"Handsome and a gentleman. A good catch indeed."

"He's like an adorable kitten that's been kept as a house cat and is only discovering the world outside the cage."

"I simply _must_ meet him," said Fleur gushing. Then her eyes glinted. "So what's this I hear about a young woman causing all manner of chaos in the society parties?"

Lierre grinned evilly.

"Remember that howler I sent Remus telling him what he will be going through in a few months? With the Parisian chocolate to ease the transition?"

Fleur laughed, evilly.

"I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. You had most of the Order mortified beyond belief and Granger was positively green when she realized what you were describing. Then Sirius realized what you were actually saying and fell off the chair laughing his ass off. As did the twins when Ron ate the chocolate and they immediately told him he would turn into a woman and go through the process you described."

Lierre cackled.

"It takes true skill to use menopause as a way to prank others," she grinned.

"So how exactly did you convince Fleur to bring you to France?"

"It wasn't that hard, once we got to know each other. I was one of the only girls who was willing to befriend her during the tournament. When she found out I had a love for fashion, things spiraled out from there. She didn't offer to help with getting me out of England until I told her about my home life and she found out that the way the school treated me wasn't the first time."

Fleur had observed the castle and noticed something off about the way they treated their so-called "savior". Seeing how isolated she was because of the way Ronald acted around her, she knew she had to do something. That point was hammered in after hearing the reports from two separate therapists. The first was from the purely mundane perspective, the second for the magical after they got past her childhood years.

Then she found out Lierre had never _once_ been coached in proper etiquette, her responsibilities as the Potter heir and member of nobility, and she hadn't been told about how she could claim her entire inheritance early.

She had just been going with the flow so long and relied on her friend Granger that she was completely in the dark.

Fortunately she was a quick learner, and once given the chance to be her own person without unnecessary pressures, flourished.

"So I take it you aren't coming back to England? What about the prophecy?" said Bill.

"What prophecy?"

"A year after you left, You-Know-Who stormed the Ministry and stole a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries. Ever since he's spent a lot of time trying to track down where you went. Apparently it said something about how you were the only one who could kill him," said Bill.

Dumbledore had gisted most of it, but the main thing was that neither Voldemort or Ivy could be killed by anyone BUT each other.

As such, both the Ministry and Voldemort were now searching for Ivy Potter with everything they had.

"Here's what I don't get. You're all just as capable as the Death Eaters. Why aren't you taking more proactive approach to dealing with them? You're all old enough to know how to do more than hit them with _stunners_ ," said Lierre in disgust.

Bill made a frown of his own.

"Dumbledore won't let us. He just wants us to sit on information and deal with the aftermath hours after it happens. And if anyone even _hints_ at trying to become a vigilante, then he threatens to tell the Aurors and have us arrested for attacking Death Eaters," said Bill in equal disgust.

"It seems to me that you could use a clean break as much as Lierre did. I'm sure the catacomb inspection teams would love to have a properly trained curse breaker on their team," said Antoinette.

"I can't leave my family behind."

"Tell them you're using this as an excuse to search Paris discreetly without raising alarms about being there. And you can bring Fred and George here. I'm sure they would love a chance to expand to a new market. There's not much of a decent joke shop and I've been rather limited in my pranking supplies."

"What about Ron and Ginny?" joked Bill. His amusement died at the flat look on her face.

"Ron is a controlling pig and Ginny has an unhealthy fascination with me and pushed me on Ron at any chance. Out of all your siblings they were influenced the most by your mother next to Percy," said Lierre flatly.

The worst part was that Bill couldn't find it in himself to deny it.

Still at least Lierre had given him a plausible cover story for why he was moving to Paris temporarily.

He was going to see if he could recruit the Miracle team and discreetly search for Ivy Potter among muggle and magical Paris.

* * *

 _Disneyland Paris, two days later..._

Lierre was wearing her prescription sunglasses since she lost yet another pair of contacts. Her hair was in a simple French braid, and she was wearing a black hoodie, that when the hood was flipped up had a pair of black cat ears. She was also wearing a choker with a small golden bell. Her shorts only went to her knees, but they were form fitting. She also had a black belt that was wrapped around twice...she could loose it up to create the effect of a tail. She even had a pair of black shoes that had paw pads on the bottom, which would create some interesting footprints.

Tikki and Plagg would be joining them, though discreetly of course. Tikki was currently hiding in the flipped back hood.

"Sorry I'm late," said Adrian, before he caught what she was wearing.

"What? I think Chat Noir is cute... like a kitten," said Lierre, winking at him.

Adrian blushed, but said nothing. Ladybug still called him kitten, but it was more a term of endearment now.

"So should we get started?" asked Adrian.

"Where to first?"

"Why don't you pick the first ride?" said Lierre with a wink.

 _A few hours later..._

Adrian had to admit, he was having a lot of fun. They rode rides, gorged on junk food, and when they got soaked on one of the rides, they had a bit of fun trying on costumes from popular films.

Adrian finally came out in a copy of Beast's formal outfit. Lierre picked Belle's golden dress, and he openly admitted it suited her.

However there was an unintended consequence of having a bit of silly fun. Someone _recognized_ him, but they were lost in the crowd.

But the damage had been done. Word quickly spread among his fans, and it wasn't long before people were snapping pictures under the guise of learning where they could rent the same outfits.

Adrian had no idea his cover was blown, or that the fact he now had a girlfriend would be hitting his fan sites and the gossip rags within hours.

"Is it me or do you feel like we're being followed?"

"It's not you. Your _fans_ have been following us for the past two hours, especially once you declared me your girlfriend. Fortunately there is a way around them without offending them."

"I'm all ears, my lady," said Adrian with a wink. Once the initial awkwardness wore off, he felt more like his Chat Noir persona. It helped that no one recognized him for the first three hours.

"Come on," she said with a grin, taking him past one alley and into a discreet side alley almost no one knew about and fewer could see.

Once past a barrier, he found himself in a less crowded, but still obviously popular section of the park.

"Welcome to magical Disneyland. When they first open the park here, the magicals built their own using discreet passageways and adding extra features to already made rides. They have more features to play around with than in the normal ones...and while people _might_ recognize you, they'll also know me enough not to bother us. I hate dealing with fans while I'm relaxing and everyone knows it by now."

"You have fans?" said Adrian.

"If we hang around here long enough someone is sure to explain the story eventually," sighed Lierre. Then she grinned. "So want to check out the magical rides?"

"Sure!"

As promised, no one bothered them or asked for autographs. After the first mob incident in France, she set aside one day every three months where she signed autographs and even posed for pictures from those who had read the fairy tale books. Then she set aside a second date for fans of the Ladybug, both mundane and magical.

It was part of the reason why the Miracle Team was so insanely popular.

Adrian was having a lot of fun in the magical side of the park. Especially since the cameras were off of them. Some of the rides made his head spin... like the one where you had to walk two feet forward. It seemed simple enough, but what the attendants didn't warn you was that once you hit a certain spot you'd be upside down until you walked the entire two feet.

Lierre had prior experience with the trick and had a lot of fun walking. Adrian kept his hand firmly holding hers, because he had been startled enough that he might have gotten stuck.

"That was beyond freaky."

"I thought it was fun! Just wait until you've tried what I have in mind next," said Lierre, open mirth in her eyes.

"Frog's legs and ice cream?" said Adrian.

Lierre withheld her amusement until Adrian saw exactly what they meant by "frog's legs".

He waited for their order...only to be taken aback by the color.

"What are these?"

"Chocolate frog's legs. Someone had the enterprising idea of turning the delicacy into a dessert, only using the chocolate frogs instead of the actual amphibian. You didn't think I would order a dessert that had actual frog in it, did you?" said Lierre, snickering.

Judging by the look on his face, that was a yes.

Lierre had a blast introducing Adrian to some of the small magical wonders he had missed out on because of his now former status.

Thanks in part to Félix, Adrian was quickly on his way to catching up with several years of magical training.

Thank god for time turners.

"Bleh! What are these?"

"Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. And by every flavor, they mean _every_ flavor. What did it taste like?"

"Pepper."

"You're lucky. They have even worse ones... should be funny to prank your cousin with."

Adrian grinned at the idea.

"These aren't real frogs are they?"

"Enchanted to move. You didn't seem to mind them earlier."

"Please tell me these aren't real."

"Do you want me to tell you the truth or lie?" asked Lierre, trying not to laugh at the disgusted look on his face. He was holding a cockroach cluster, and was eyeing the blood pops warily.

"So what next?"

"Have you ever played Quidditch?"

"I've never even heard of it," said Adrian.

"Well I do know of an open Quidditch field that allows players to schedule some play time. And I could teach you how to fly since I doubt Félix would."

"You mean like when we were on that broom?" said Adrian, perking up. That had been _fun_. Then again he had fallen from pretty high up as Chat Noir and trusted Ladybug to catch him, so he had lost any fear of heights.

"It's a game specifically geared towards brooms. I usually play Seeker, which means I chase after a small golden object about the size of a golf ball with wings in broad daylight that can change direction at random. It's called the snitch."

Seeing his interest, Lierre made a mental check towards Adrian being the perfect boyfriend. He was interested in Quidditch, but not overly crazy about it like a bunch of boys she knew.

They ended the date with a kiss under the fireworks, on the highest spot that was available to the public.

* * *

 _Two days later..._

Adrian was eating breakfast, half awake, when his tutor dropped a magazine on the table. It took him a few seconds to register what was on the front cover, but when he did, he blanched.

It was a picture of him and Lierre wearing the costumes from Disneyland. Complete with an eye-catching title that was almost guaranteed to make his next few weeks a nightmare.

He _hated_ the press, and they were certainly going to be like sharks now.


	14. Chapter 14

**Alright all my lovely fans! I have yet ANOTHER plot bunny, but I'm unable to make it even a one-shot properly. Mostly because one of the main characters is beyond my current ability to write. Shocking, I know.**

 **Anyway the plot bunny is this:**

 **Waver, still reeling from losing Iskander makes a figurative deal with the devil...in this case Zelretch. He wants to see Iskander when he was at his strength, not as the shadow that had grown on him throughout the war. So Zelretch turns him back into a child and sends him back to the past so Waver can see Iskander as he was, not as the one who had been more or less putting up with him because he needed Waver to sustain himself.**

 **Can include adoption by Iskander or just raising him as an heir.**

 **Waver MUST return to the Fourth Grail War a second time and try to fix things.**

 **How he turns out as a result of his adventure is entirely up to the one who takes the challenge. Whether he becomes Lord El-Melloi II again or a Lord in his own right is also up to the person who takes the idea. Happy Writing and be sure to include a link!**

* * *

"Okay, I'll bite. How did you get those trash rags to leave you alone?" asked Chloe. It was a girl's night in, and Fleur had elected to join them with her daughter Claire.

Lierre's smile was full of teeth.

She pulled out her cell phone and made sure the app was showing before she said with a smug voice.

"Before you begin your interview, do you mind if I record this? I want to be sure you're representing the actual girl and not blowing things out of proportion in case I need to find you later," she said with a cheeky grin.

Fleur let out a cackle. Unlike the magical world, where libel laws were sadly lacking, the muggles had protection against defamation of character.

"I bet that sent them packing!"

"The more outrageous ones ran. Those that work for the slightly respectable ones didn't seem deterred. Which is why I took Fleur with me when I met up with them to give them an interview. It didn't help that my phone accidentally started playing that unofficial theme song for the Ladybug and Chat Noir shippers."

"I heard that their fans are also shipping Queen Bee and Volpine~!" said Chloe.

Marinette almost choked on her drink.

"What?! That's the first I heard about that!"

"Yeah, since he's slowly loosing the stuffiness of being that boring Chat Blanc, and she's got the fun-loving personality compared to Ladybug, they're like the perfect match of opposites!" said Sabrina. She was a fan of the fun-loving Queen Bee who, while being a little arrogant and having a minor rivalry with Ladybug, was still very nice to others.

And yes, Volpine was slowly winning people over as Kitt's mischievous nature started to wear down Félix's stuffy attitude.

Marinette blushed. It was true that the two of them did hang out more often than not in the library, and that he looked like a more mature version of Adrian. And here was the biggest bonus, he didn't have legions of rabid fans after him.

He was polite, intelligent, handsome, and once you got past the far too formal attitude he had a wicked sense of humor.

Plus she didn't have the same problem she had around Adrian when he first arrived. She could talk to him normally by hiding behind a book.

"So soft. So fluffy..." said Chloe almost in a daze. She was hugging Noir.

"He almost looks like Chat Noir, doesn't he?" said Lierre mischievously.

"He does! Makes you wonder what he'd look like as a human," said Chloe.

Lierre briefly considered telling them, before a wicked idea came to her.

When she first came to Paris, she found a spell that turned animals into humans for a brief time. The downside was that they _became_ more human as a result. Enough that their intelligence got boosted.

There was a reason why Plagg could usually tell what Noir was telling him, despite not having the vocal cords to speak outside of meowing.

"Well... I do have pictures of what I think he'd look like as a human."

"Share!" said Chloe eagerly.

Fleur and Marinette were the only ones to guess that the man in the picture _was_ Noir.

"You used the familiar creation spell, didn't you?" said Marinette. She had heard about it, but never knew anyone that used it. As magic had advanced, the more witches and wizards preferred not to have such intelligent pets.

Chloe and the others were distracted by a game that Lierre had purchased.

"Noir?"

The cat meowed, before a light glow emitted from him. He turned into a human briefly, before switching back.

"He's like a reverse Animagus," said Fleur in approval.

"He's the perfect spy. I only used the spell for an intelligent conversation since I wasn't used to speaking French."

"Is that karaoke machine?" said Sabrina, noticing something in the corner.

Lierre winced. She had forgotten she bought that thing.

"It is, but I could never get it to work. Too many wires. It was a nightmare having someone come in just to install my entertainment system. I could never remember which wire went where," said Lierre. "By the way Marinette, how did your father take my suggestion for a line of cookies?"

"He loves it. He's trying to find the perfect promotion," said Marinette.

"What idea?" asked Chloe.

Marinette grinned.

"A complete line of Miracle Cookies. There's going to be a dark chocolate black cat with a winking eye and a little gold bell made of icing, a red and black ladybug made of red velvet and cream cheese that's been dyed black, a gold and black bee with a lotus flower background made of lemon and vanilla, and an vanilla fox with orange peal for coloring. They're really good. The problem is that there's a bunch of other bakeries making their own line, usually just one of the heroes," said Marinette.

"I bet if the public saw Ladybug and the others eating cookies out of a box from your bakery, that wouldn't be a problem anymore."

"Or you could ask Ladybug and the others to give their 'stamp' of approval," suggested Chloe.

"Now there's an idea. They could endorse the really good, out of the way restaurants and help promote tourism," said Lierre.

"What's that?" asked Chloe, noticing something in the hall closet. It was where Lierre kept her outfits that she sometimes wore to class, or gave to friends.

"That would be the outfit I made for Adrian for a rather boring ball that I have to attend next month," said Lierre making a face.

"Ball? What ball?" said Chloe.

"There's a ball for nobility next month, and it's mandatory for young ladies of age to be married, or just entering society to attend. It's going to be the first one Adrian is allowed to attend, since he's Félix's cousin. So he should make a good impression."

Left unspoken was that this was a magical ball, so they were technically introducing Adrian since he had come of age.

He would be considered a young adult once he passed the O.W.L.'s and a full wizard once he passed the N.E.W.T.'s. Since he had only become a full wizard and was just now catching up on his training, the family wasn't expecting much out of the practical side of things, but they expected him to have the theory down pat.

"Where's your dress?" asked Sabrina.

Lierre grinned. Before going into her room and coming back out with her outfit.

"The Queen of Steam strikes again," joked Chloe.

With Lierre's regal attitude and her love of a rather obscure branch of fashion, she had been given the unofficial title of "Queen of Steam".

"So what exactly happens at these things anyway?"

"We dance, we mingle, we try not to kill each other..." said Fleur, winking at Lierre. "By the way, word has already spread about your...habit."

"What habit?" said Lierre innocently.

"The one were you create an awkward situation just because someone annoys you too much," deadpanned Fleur. "As amusing as it is seeing their expressions, it would damage your reputation too much."

"And we both know how reputation matters to me," said Lierre rolling her eyes.

"Yours might not bother you, but remember who else you represent," said Fleur.

Lierre sighed. She hated it when Fleur used that as a weapon to keep her in line.

Which had only happened twice now.

* * *

 _With Adrian and Félix..._

"Remind me again why I have to attend these dance lessons?"

"Because it's tradition to introduce young witches and wizards when they turn fifteen. Fortunately we can just claim you were home schooled for the majority of them, which isn't that far from the truth. And I know Lierre offered to make appropriate clothing for the event."

"Appropriate clothing?" repeated Adrian.

"You'll find that fashions in the magical societies haven't made as much progress. In fact in England they're positively Victorian. Which is why she asked me to check on the outfit she designed for you to use. The better to surprise everyone at your entrance as a wizard, she told me."

While he wasn't that big on the 'fashion' aspect, he did admit she had good taste in outfits. It was a bit unusual, but old fashioned enough to pass for a pure blood outfit. It was modern enough to appeal to the younger generation.

Odds were Lierre would be getting a large number of orders from the young bloods once they found out she did do custom orders. She already had a shop set up, with three separate rooms for her to abuse her time turner without causing a paradox. Eventually she planned to hire competent seamstresses to do orders.

"So what exactly happens at these events anyway?"

"It's a ball. You'll be required to dance with at least one girl and socialize. Since you're representing the Delacroix, it will be socially acceptable for you to stick close to me since this is the first one you've attended. Or Lierre, who will be with the Delacour family. I also have it on good authority that the hat Lierre designed will have a false clock for Plagg, Tikki and Kitt to enter and watch the ball without being seen. No one ever looks inside hats."

Not unless someone did something that warranted it, and Lierre had prepared for that scenario as well. There were tiny collars for the Kwami to put on that would allow them to go temporarily invisible, made with the same enchantments as invisibility cloaks.

"This is going to be boring, isn't it?"

"Almost certainly, if you have a short attention span," deadpanned Félix.

"...Did you just make a joke?"

"Kitt is rubbing off on me. Either that or I'm trying to give those damn twins a reason to leave me the hell alone," said Félix.

Adrian winced. He had met Bill Weasley's twin brothers. While they had liked him well enough and approved of him dating "Ivy", they made it clear if he broke her heart, they'd prank him worse than Félix. And some of those pranks were pretty vindictive.

When Adrian had mentioned as much, Lierre had taken both boys by ear and told them to knock it off. Or else.

What the 'or else' implied he had no idea, but he overheard it had something to do with Lierre doing a credible recreation of their mother, or involving Bill.

"So what exactly is this outfit going to look like?"

"You've seen what she considers acceptable casual wear. What do you think?" said Félix dryly.

"How much you want to bet she'll somehow incorporate a black cat or a green paw with a black background," said Adrian. He kept finding them every time she made him something. And he made a game of finding the red and black ladybug whenever she wore something new to class.

"She puts an orange and white fox tail around a white cat's paw on mine," admitted Félix, before quickly adding "And a tiny bee with gold and black for Marinette."

Lierre loved making clothes for her friends. Sometimes Adrian would reach into his locker and find something new in there, from Lierre. Usually by having Plagg open it up so she could hide it someplace he could find it.

It was a weird, if nice habit that she had.

And he sometimes came to class wearing them, which always seemed to make her blush with pride or embarrassment.

Though why she felt embarrassed about making clothes for her friends and seeing them actually wear them, he had no idea.

He had no idea who she had been before she moved to France. No knowledge of what her life had been like before she became Lierre Noir, aspiring fashion designer and super hero.

He didn't know Ron Weasley, or the way he had unknowingly convinced Lierre that showing how much money she had was a bad thing. Didn't know how the red head had pushed his insecurities about his own family fortune so thoroughly on his now former best friend that she preferred to learn how to mend and wear old clothes rather than buy new things. It had taken two full years for Antoinette to break her of that habit, at least partially, before Lierre started wearing new things ever so often rather than old clothes she had fixed.

Even so, old habits stuck. So she found a compromise, which helped assuage the guilt she shouldn't have to feel with her love of fashion.

She learned how to make her own clothes, with the best material at the smallest cost possible. She had learned to become cutthroat when bartering for cloth and materials.


	15. Chapter 15

Adrian wanted to fidget in his new clothes, but they fit perfectly and he felt like it would insult Lierre if he did. Instead he went over all the spells Félix had taught him, since he was scheduled to take his Ordinary Wizarding Levels in a few months. Lierre had offered to help tutor him, but he worried that they might get a bit too occupied with each other to do any studying.

He didn't worry about things getting too physical. Lierre had made it abundantly clear when Volpine raised the same concerns that she wouldn't let Chat Noir _or_ Adrian get past "second base" until they had been together for at LEAST a year. Of course there had been the awkwardness of having Félix explain what that meant.

Apparently the fact he had been so sheltered growing up after his mother was gone meant he didn't catch certain common slang terms.

At least he wasn't bored alone. Plagg was hiding inside the rather decorative top hat. It had seats and a one-way window for him to watch the party...and a sort of platform so he didn't drop any crumbs on Adrian's hair.

Kitt was currently hiding inside Félix's coat, as he stood rather still. He was clearly used to these events. And he knew the best way to alleviate their boredom.

He quietly informed Adrian of the various lords, ladies and important people and their contribution to the magical or mundane world.

Then came the announcement of the Delacour family. If Adrian was bored and slightly uncomfortable with the way everyone was looking at him like some piece of meat, it was nothing compared to how Bill Weasley looked.

Adrian knew his family wasn't exactly the richest in England, and for some reason Fleur had married him. So if he was slightly uncomfortable, Bill felt very out of place.

It was also clear Lierre had used him as a dress up dummy for another of her rather odd creations. So at least he looked the part without feeling out of place.

Then he saw her. Félix shot him a knowing look but a light touch to the arm told Adrian to wait.

Lierre spotted them and smiled. Once she could move away from the Delacour family to mingle, she made a line straight for Adrian.

Hearing the music start and seeing some of the older couples move to the floor, Adrian grinned.

"Would you care to dance, my lady?" said Adrian, a bit of his attitude as Chat Noir peeking out.

"Absolutely, kitten," she said with a wink.

It took Adrian a few dances before he realized quite a few of the people around them were staring.

Seeing his confusion, Lierre let out a light laugh.

"My opinion of boys asking me to dance, or even courting is well known. They're in shock that I didn't even try to divert your attempts to something else."

Lierre Noir was well known for being a member of the Black family, and that she had a low opinion of fools trying to court her so openly. While winning her hand would be a major coup for any family, especially considering her birth name, she was quite firm about remaining single for now.

So the fact she was openly dancing with a boy and not trying to ditch him in the least was a big shock.

That was when she set the niffler in the vaults. She kissed Adrian on the cheek before they headed back to where Félix and Gabrielle were, chatting.

"You had to do it. You do realize everyone is going to be bothering him for the rest of the night?" said Félix.

"You do realize I intend to make my claim on him clear so that the other girls our age don't try anything once she find out he's a famous model?" she replied dryly.

Adrian winced. He hated those type of girls. They always assumed they knew more about him than he did himself, just because of gossip magazines.

Félix lead Gabrielle out to the dance floor while Adrian and Lierre ate and drank to recover energy. It was clear just looking at them that they were in a platonic relationship. It was more of a dance between friends than potential lovers.

Inevitably, the other pure blood and half blood girls of noble houses gravitated to their table.

"Well it looks like the Steam Queen has finally found a boy she approves of. At least now our mothers will leave the potential candidates alone about going after you first," said the 'leader' of the pack tiredly.

"They call her that here too?" said Adrian. He couldn't help it.

The girl, who he later found out was named Jeanne, gave him a flirtatious grin.

"Her love of the genre isn't _that_ unknown to pure blood circles, and she made it clear she intends to open a shop eventually so that the current generation can branch out of the stuffy fashions our elders have imposed on us. I almost feel sorry for the English dogs, because their fashion sense is even _worse_ ," said Jeanne.

"Tell me about it. They believe robes are the height of fashion when even attempting to run in one is almost a guarantee to trip over them," said Lierre tiredly.

Jeanne observed Adrian for a brief moment before she cautiously asked "You have no idea who she is, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

Jeanne turned her attention to Lierre.

"That part of me died when I became a French citizen and moved to Paris. And I had that dreadful scar removed months ago. So long as the spell is up, no one can inform people of my birth name and make the connection to Lierre Noir."

"Simple, but brilliant. In that case, Monsieur Delacroix, what do you know of the Girl-Who-Lived?"

Lierre had put a fidelius up to keep people from making the connection long ago when she realized she had no desire to return to England. The spell only kept people from blabbing what they might have figured out to others.

"Only that the English magical society is full of idiots who couldn't make their mind up about her. One moment she's the savior and their golden girl, yet the first instant they might think she's possibly evil or at least against this Dumbledore character they brand her as a dark witch. And when she proves to be an innocent victim of false accusations, there's never even a hint of an apology or attempts to discredit the false rumors," said Adrian honestly, before adding "And I still don't get what the big deal is about her being able to talk to snakes."

"The current Dark Lord over in England can talk to snakes, thus they deem anyone with the same gift must be just as evil as he is. And don't get me started on the inbreeding issue," said Lierre flatly.

"And let's not forget that the girl-who-lived came to Hogwarts in rags. You should have heard Gabrielle's loud complaints about her wardrobe when she was there, or Fleur's very vocal displeasure at the way they treated her when she was forced into a tournament she clearly wanted no part it. The entire school, save for a few rare individuals turned against her almost overnight and ostracized her until the first task was over. Then they acted as though nothing ever happened. Frankly I'm amazed she didn't leave sooner," added Jeanne.

Adrian winced. That had been one of the many things his cousin had him study up on, preferably in as many different views as possible. He still didn't know why.

From what he had read, it was almost literally the entire three schools against one girl, and not a single adult even tried to speak in her defense. Quite the contrary, the headmaster of Hogwarts practically forced her to participate with some lame story about her losing her magic if she didn't.

There were at least three rules that allowed a student to escape the tournament if entered with malicious intent. And yet not a single adult or teacher did anything to help her out.

So his opinion of the English magical society wasn't exactly the best.

* * *

Adrian listened, dance and ate during the entire ball. Once Lierre showed up it wasn't nearly as boring as he feared. Finally around ten (the party had started around five) he noticed the younger generation filter out of the main crowd and into a slightly smaller ball room.

"Oh thank god. I thought they'd never open the annex for the underage crowd," said Lierre in relief.

"What?" said Adrian.

"You really think the adults are going to let the kids mope around a fancy ball without a back up plan? They open a side room and the under-twenty crowd goes there until it's over. This allows the adults to mingle and do their thing and gives the teens and young adults a chance to relax without the pomp and ceremony. Well that and switch into a slightly more relaxed dress code," explained Lierre.

It had been one of her little suggestions that became a major hit with the nobles. There wasn't any real reason to force the teenagers to be with stuffy adults and it meant they could conduct business without half the whining from boredom.

Adrian noticed a bowl.

"What's that for?"

"No wands allowed. You have to put your wand or focus there in case tempers run high."

Adrian's mind immediately went to his ring.

"That you can leave on. You can't cast with it, so it doesn't count," she assured him.

The 'other' party was much more lively and festive. He found himself relaxing, because here the pomp and circumstance of the nobility mattered little. They were here for a singular purpose. Having a good time and making actual connections.

Lierre had even pulled out a few books with her special designs, and both girls and boys were perusing them avidly, special ordering one or another to their tastes. It had baffled him as to why they were so popular until Gabrielle explained it to him.

"Her designs allow us to wear the 'fashions' that the old bloods are familiar with, but with a modern enough design that we can walk out into the mundane side without much notice. People will just assume it's a new trend among the younger generation and ignore it."

Lierre was whistling quite cheerfully as she made a note of her orders. She was going to have a busy couple of months, and net some very good coin.

"Where are they going?" asked Adrian, noting some of the teens heading off out of the room into the main hall.

"The established or engaged couples can leave by the main entrance and go someplace a bit more...private."

It took him little time to get the meaning of that.

* * *

"Well that was fun," said Bill.

"Indeed. Lierre looked like she was enjoying herself greatly," said Fleur. She had a wicked grin on her face "And I imagine the other girls are breathing sighs of relief that she finally has a boyfriend, so the dating pool has opened up again."

"Ivy definitely seems happier now."

Fleur gave her husband a look.

"Do we need to go over this _again_ dear?" she asked pointedly.

Bill winced.

Fleur had been very...detailed...about the scars on Ivy Potter. Emotional, mental and physical.

It was a miracle that girl was still sane, much less capable of a healthy relationship with others.

It also served the purpose of giving Bill a strong reason not to trust Dumbledore, or tell him exactly where the missing witch was.

He had only meet Ivy Potter briefly, but he could honestly say she was better off and happier in Paris than any amount of time in England.

The twins were far more vocal. So long as Ivy, or Lierre, was happy and safe, they had no reason to say a damn thing to anyone who didn't already know.

She was much more effective at reigning in the twins than their mother ever was.

"Now, I believe there was the small matter of my mother being willing to babysit Claire for the rest of the night in exchange for more grandbabies to spoil?" said Fleur with a saucy wink.

It was one of the reason she married him. The Weasleys were known for having a _big_ family, and Veela women were suckers for babies. Sure having that harpy Molly as a mother-in-law was a nightmare, but no one said she couldn't hex the woman into silence and get some peace.

* * *

 _Back in England..._

It had been three months since Bill and Fleur went to France to investigate the rumors of Ivy Potter in Paris.

Not a single communication could be had since they left. However the twins did send the occasional letters to Sirius, who was starving for information since he was stuck in England.

It might be worth being caught by the French if it meant not having to deal with Snape's snide comments another minute.

Besides, he knew a set up when he saw one, and Bill's interest in Paris that just so happened to coincide with Fleur's mother all but demanding to see her new grandchild reeked of a cover up for something juicy.

He was betting it had something to do with Fleur's hidden amusement at the frustration they had felt for months trying to find his goddaughter.

She definitely knew _something_ about where Ivy was, but she wasn't talking. Not that any of them had bothered to ask.

Sirius was at the point where he would gladly disobey the old wizard just for a bit of freedom. And he reached the breaking point when Snivelous made a comment about how Ivy was just like her father...making them worry about the spoiled brat just for some attention.

That was the last straw. The row between him with Dumbledore trying to play peacemaker was enough for everyone to try and avoid him until he calmed down. No one would look for him, and Remus was dealing with his monthly problem.

Sirius spared a few moments to grin evilly at the prank Ivy had played on the old wolf, one that came with an encore that topped the original.

Looks like it was time for him to start making his way to France.


	16. Chapter 16

"I had an interesting report earlier. Seems Sirius was busted for sneaking into southern France."

Lierre blinked, before looking at Bill.

"Hold on while I go sort this mess out."

This was a perfect chance to give Sirius a second chance, but there was no way in _hell_ she was going near him until his mental state had been sorted out. He either went through some damn good therapy and learned to differentiate her from her father, or she wanted nothing to do with him.

Sirius not only agreed, but he agreed to meet only in public places.

But only if he was allowed to meet Lierre's new boyfriend once his sessions had made some headway. He had to be sure that this Adrian kid was good enough for his pup and heir.

That and he was very curious about these "legal super heroes" he had heard rumors about.

Though he had to have that one explained to him by a helpful Fleur, who found the concept amusing.

The "Miracle Team" as they were called, were allowed to legally use magic in front of muggles. But there were certain restrictions that they had to follow.

No wands were to be seen or used in the presence of muggles. Small magics that could be mistaken for the powers of their enchanted weapons were acceptable, but large ones that could expose them would at the very least get a reprimand. They could use the Eiffel Tower as a meeting spot, even fly around it if they wished, but they couldn't be seen doing so in their civilian identities.

The reason the Aurors and the muggle public embraced them was rather simple.

This "Hawkmoth" character was after some ancient jewels that supposedly had special powers. He was using another to control innocent people having a really, really crappy day to get them no matter who was hurt or what damage was caused in the process.

Originally the two chosen to deal with these...akuma...were Ladybug and Chat Noir. They were later joined by Chat Blanc (now Volpine) and Queen Bee.

Ladybug, their leader, was the only one with the ability to purify the akuma and fix any damage done to the city or the citizens. Which was probably why the average citizen loved their group, come to think of it. They didn't have to pay outrageous taxes or fees dealing with the repairs to their battles. Especially with Chat Noir's ability to destroy things just by touching them. Like the Eiffel Tower itself for instance.

By now the average Parisian considered the akuma a nuisance at best, and since the victims never remembered what happened after the fact, they moved on with their lives and were never charged with the trouble they caused. Some even got professional help after to settle their issues.

So yes, the public loved the flashy heroes who at least kept to the akuma issue and didn't even consider dealing with common crime.

It wasn't that they couldn't, it was more like they didn't have the time or inclination to do the police's job for them. At the same time the police had already realized they were ill equipped to deal with the akuma issue, and left it to the supers.

It was a simple peace between two sides that normally didn't like each other very much.

The thing that bugged Sirius was that Ladybug looked a hell of a lot like Ivy, only without the familiar and hated scar on her forehead.

* * *

"Ah...Ah... AHCHOO!"

Tikki looked at her partner with some concern.

"That was a pretty big sneeze. Are you sure you don't want to ask one of the others to bring you some medicine?"

"After what happened with the last batch I just took? No thank you!" said Lierre with a shudder.

Lierre had taken some pepper-up potion, unaware it had expired two weeks ago. She was also unaware of the side effects of certain expired potions.

The bad brew caused her to act loopier than Plagg on magical catnip. It had taken several hours before it worked it's way out of her system. As such she had sworn off any medicine without checking the expiration date first.

Even if it meant she had to suffer in almost silence. Noir knew the bare basics of cooking (she had been very bored that week and he was a quick learner) but the downside of the familiar spell was that it required small amounts of fresh magic for the animal to take human form.

Magic that for some inexplicable reason, made this damn cold even _worse_.

So she made a heavy meal that would keep her stomach happy for a few hours and tried to sleep. The operative word being _tried_.

At least the timing was convenient. She didn't have to attend that stupid parent's career day and be reminded of her orphan status.

Her phone beeped with a message. It was Adrian.

 _Chat_Noir:_ I hate parent career day. Dad couldn't even set aside an _hour_ to show up.

 _Ladybug:_ Wow, looks like I lucked out with this stupid cold after all. At least I don't have to deal with the looks of pity or sympathy that I'm an _orphan_.

You could FEEL the sarcasm in that text. To be fair she didn't handle being sick well. She got snippy and very cranky.

She used to get sick at least once a week growing up because of malnutrition and lack of ANY medical care save for when the teachers dragged her to the nurse. Her immune system was damn near bulletproof, but when she caught something, it usually stuck around for _days_.

And she hated not doing anything, so it made her very cross.

She could almost feel his wince at the reminder, when he sent a text back in between presentations.

 _Chat_Noir:_ you have a cold?

 _Ladybug:_ and magic makes it worse. I've been eating on a stew that Tikki's been stirring so it doesn't stick, but all this stupid sneezing is making sleep impossible.

 _Chat_Noir:_ have you taken any medicine?

 _Ladybug:_ I took a pepper up that I didn't know was bad, and it made me loopy. I'm just going to suffer in silence until this stupid thing passes and hope that Hawkmoth isn't stupid enough to make another Akuma. If turning Noir human for fifteen minutes made the cold worse, I dread to think what turning into Ladybug would do.

Adrian looked outside the window, and then winced.

 _Chat_Noir:_ … You're not going to believe this...

 _Ladybug:_ I'm going to regret asking aren't I?

 _Chat_Noir:_ another akuma has appeared. I think it's Sabrina's dad.

What Lierre said in response couldn't be repeated in public. Adrian was just glad he only saw the symbols meant to display someone was cussing up a storm rather than heard the words. Tikki, however, was not so lucky.

 _Ladybug:_ warn the others I'm not in a good mood and that if they see a minor distortion around my face to ignore it. Unless they want to share my cold.

Bubblehead charms had so many uses if one were to get creative with it. She knew for a fact that the twins used it to deal with interesting...smells...while making prank potions.

The variant she used was something Healers had created to prevent infection from airborne diseases. She used the lowest setting for obvious reasons.

" _ **Tikki, Spots On!"**_

This was going to _suck_ , she just knew it.

* * *

When Chat Noir warned them Ladybug was in a bad mood, they automatically assumed it was that time of the month. She did get a bit...cranky. Queen Bee generally went into a snit worthy of the former bully Chloe.

Instead they found her with a weird distortion around her face, one Volpine was quick to identify as a modified bubblehead charm.

"Why do you..." he started, before Chat Noir shut him up rather rudely.

" _It's called a cold, one that for some reason gets worse whenever I use_ any _magic. So unless you want to catch it, and believe me I'd be happy to do everything in my power to share it to prove a point since it's more of an annoyance than anything."_

"Have you considered pepper-up?" said Volpine, choosing his words carefully. He had a cold like that once and it _was_ annoying as hell.

" _It made me loopier than Plagg on magical catnip. Let's just end this quick so this stupid cold doesn't last any longer than necessary."_

But of course the fight lasted well into the night, and close to ten. They had to transform after a momentary rest, which didn't improve Ladybug's mood any bit.

She had at least warned them that if her monthly issue was bad, then she was three times worse when she was sick.

Félix didn't envy his cousin one bit if they ended up married and she gotten pregnant.

If she was cross with a cold, she was worse when thanks to Hawk Moth's spectacularly bad timing it became a fever and something close to a flu.

As such she was now stuck sick at home with only Tikki to keep her company, since the only one that knew she wasn't feeling well was Adrian.

So it came as a complete surprise when he showed up with a few others shortly after school ended, complete with food.

"Adrian told you."

"Actually the teacher said that your cold had gotten worse so you'd be absent for a few days," admitted Sabrina.

"Also we made sure Marinette didn't carry any of the food," said Alya.

"Hey!"

Lierre couldn't help it, she laughed. It was great having friends that actually cared and took notice when you weren't feeling well.

Hermione had been particularly oblivious to the fact her bedside manner sucked and was a complete nightmare who kept pushing books on her when she just wanted to sleep, and Ron was such a narcissistic asshole that he didn't even take note when she was feeling crappy because of her PMS.

So yeah, she was secretly enjoying this enough that it curbed some of her more biting comments.

To top it all off, because it was a weekend and his father thought he would be staying with Félix and his mother's side of the family for a few days for extra training, Adrian was able to successfully spend the night.

He used the other room next to the one Chloe borrowed, for more reason than one.

(The main one being that despite not living there, Chloe had somehow made the room a bit too...girly for any straight male to feel comfortable in.)

Oh he still studied under Félix's watchful eye with Lierre's quiet tips, but the fact was that this was the first time he spent the night over at his girlfriend's house. With no supervision outside of a pair of Kwami and a stoic cat that could turn into a human for short periods.

Not quite what he was expecting for their first semi-unchaperoned night together, but it was still worth not telling his father the entire truth.

Lierre wouldn't admit it out loud, but coaching Adrian through how to make basic foods like stew (which was one of the easiest things to cook, once you had the ingredients in the right proportions and had the heat at the right temperature) was fun. Enough to take her mind off her awful flu.

Close to a week after she caught the cold that had unfortunately become a flu, she returned to school. Adrian had been able to stay for a day or two, which they mostly spent talking with both having a sort of modified bubble around their faces. He had mostly practiced the spell because it was _very_ useful and helped him learn how to moderate the amount of magic he was using.

Now that the connection was firmly established, Adrian was growing stronger every day. It didn't hurt that turning into Chat Noir or using his Cataclysm was forcing muscles he had never known existed in him to work for the first time in _years_.

At the rate he was going, no one would ever be aware he had been born a squib with just enough magic to register as a magical child under the most basic of spells.

Lierre was a surprisingly competent and patient teacher. And she insisted that learning how to cook would help immensely when it came to potions.

Snape didn't like admitting it, but she was a natural potionsmistress. However his bitterness over the loss of Lily and hatred towards James Potter had curbed any potential desire for Lierre to even consider that path.

Her natural ability to lead meant it was easier for her to _teach_. A fact she ruthlessly exploited showing Adrian how to prep potion ingredients and adjust the heat while warning him of the various characteristics of the ingredients.

Needless to say she was rather surprise at the warm welcome she got. She honestly didn't realize how much her classmates like having her around. Especially since after that stupid scar healed over, they finally got to see her face properly.

Sure she still wore prescription color contacts, but that was more for fun.

"That was one heck of a cold," said Alya.

"It turned into the flu without warning," said Lierre.

"Ouch."

"Fortunately it rarely happens and next time I'll be more prepared. Good thing none of you saw how loopy I got after I took some medicine I didn't know had gone bad."

"Lierre the Steam Queen, loopy? I'd pay to see that!" said Sabrina.


	17. Chapter 17

Lierre's patience with her former countrymen had about reached it's limit. Not only was Dumbledore persistent, but now the English dogs were raising a massive stink about Ladybug and the others.

Fortunately they didn't have a case. Mostly because all the muggles attributed any signs of minor magics (like Ladybug's Lucky Charm or Chat Noir's destructive powers) to their super hero identity having those gifts. And with how many "super heroes" there were in popular culture, it was pretty clear that the muggles wouldn't automatically think "hidden magical society" first.

In fact it could almost start a trend of vigilante super heroes. To be fair, most magical societies suffered from the same issue of absolute boredom and stagnation, though thankfully NOT to the extent as the British one. So long as they did it right and didn't expose their world, the muggles would still be ignorant of the magical society and spice things up a bit.

If and when it came time to make actual laws about the "super heroes" and the inevitable "super villains", Lierre fully planned to be at the forefront so that they didn't screw over the new trend that badly.

Which was why she came up with The Plan.

Lierre had a few sharp knives that she specially enchanted with the help of Bill and the terror twins. Each had the same enchantment on them.

A basic healing spell for small cuts, a numbing spell so you wouldn't noticed the first, a sterilization spell for any blood that she might get on it, a spell to clean off any blood on cloth, a spell to keep it sharp, and last but not least a spell to mend any mistakes she made while cutting cloth or thread. That last spell had to be activated for it to work.

Considering she preferred knives over scissors to cut with, the spells weren't that odd. And every single one of them was _legal_.

But they also served another purpose.

They made it impossible for people to identify her special knives as murder weapons.

The healing spells on the knife were all legal...but it would be impossible to tell who's blood had been on the knife because the sterilization charm cleared it completely off, down to the magical signature.

The basic "episkey" spell mended the initial cut, but if it went too deep just sealed off the flesh wound. That made it _very_ difficult to determine where the cut was made if you didn't know you were cut. The numbing spell hid both cut and the effect of the "episkey".

The mending spell and the spell to clean off the blood both on cloth and knife made it very hard to figure out where the injury was made, at least superficially. And such spells faded after an hour or so.

The sharpness was mostly for show. She had a whetstone she preferred to use, since it didn't leave magical traces.

Now under normal conditions, these spells were useful, if harmless. They weren't even considered "dark" by either side, and would pass cursory inspection from any auror.

It didn't hurt that she often did on the spot alterations with a knife, a needle and some thread.

However when one combined her little knitting back with a knowledge of human anatomy...well, it became an entirely different story altogether.

Lierre preferred to target the major arteries. Particularly the one the femoral artery, which was one of the BIG ones that delivered blood to the heart.

She had gotten really, really good at aiming for it with her practice dummies.

"So what's the plan again?"

"Oh no, the more you guys know about it, the higher the chance one of you might try to stop me. Hell, only Fleur knows the full details and she agreed it was a simple, yet elegant strategy. And thanks to Bill, I know that the goblins never actually repealed the 'right of conquest' rule."

"Oh dear. I think I can see where this is going," said Bill.

"What?" said George.

"She's going on a massacre, then claim the 'dead' vaults."

"It's less a massacre and more of a paced 'serial killing'. All I need is a name and the photos to go with it," said Lierre far too calmly.

"How is that going to work? I mean there's no way a bunch of Death Eaters are going to let you walk up to them and stab them."

"Actually that's exactly what they're going to do. And with a smile on their face."

"You've lost me."

"Most of the idiots who follow that idiot are _nobles_. Nobles who rarely leave their own country because they know that outside the UK, they don't tolerate their brand of bullshit. And they hold regular parties and balls."

"I can see where you're going. With that knife of yours, you can cut them someplace they can't see and they'll die without even knowing," said Bill.

"And since all the spells are 'light' and perfectly legal, there's nothing they can do about it. After all, it _does_ heal the people I 'accidentally' stab with it."

"You'll be careful, right?"

"Same charms as the Ladybug has. As far as they know, I'm a French noblewoman who decided to travel abroad and meet nobles from other countries. Starting with the top families in Europe," said Lierre with a wink.

"Be sure to send us a list of claimed vaults," said Bill. "It would make a nice kill count."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to prepare for my 'trip'," said Lierre cheekily.

"I almost feel sorry for the Death Eaters...but I feel more sorry for the Order if they try to convert her to the headmaster's way of thinking," deadpanned Bill.

"Ditto," said the twins in unison.

* * *

"Good luck Lierre," said Fleur.

"I think Marinette is the one who's going to need luck. She's stuck with two Kwami and they're both rivals!"

Because there was very little chance Tikki would approve of Lierre's method dealing with the Death Eaters (and she didn't want to leave Paris undefended), she had enacted a plan she had come up with months ago, but never had a chance to put into play.

The bait and switch. Marinette was surprisingly compatible with Tikki and the Ladybug earrings. So it only made sense to leave Paris in her capable hands while Lierre dealt with her homeland.

If only to get some peace and quiet.

She wouldn't deal with Voldemort (Sirius had passed the prophecy on, which Tikki confirmed had already been completed when she took him out the first time), but she could whittle down the lackeys.

Besides, she wanted no part in that stupid war, which was why she left when she did. If it took a couple of dead pure bloods before that message stuck, then so be it.

And with a cheery wave, Lierre was off to England to play "nice" with other pure bloods.

They were so doomed.

* * *

 _In England, Diagon Alley_

Her first 'victims' were people who she knew to be Death Eaters, but no court would charge.

MacNair and the adult Crabbe and Goyle. Three people who she knew wouldn't be missed and had killed far too many. She only had to stumble over the paved road and bump into them, then apologize profusely in French before moving on.

Once assured she didn't have sticky fingers (she had quick hands to hide her knife) they generally let her go.

They had no idea that they were ticking down to death.

Since she was reasonably sure that the younger Crabbe and Goyle were alive, she couldn't claim their vaults.

MacNair, as far as she knew, was the last of his line.

But first she had to confirm it through the goblins.

She heard the cries of alarm and kept on walking as the three men bled to death and no one even realized what was happening. All the people around saw was them pass out without warning. They were quickly taken to St. Mungo's, but by the time they found out the cause (if they ever did), it would be far too late.

And the fun had only just begun.

 _Malfoy Manor..._

The Death Eaters were having a discreet meeting in public, during a rather showy party. Whoever was offing their members was very efficient, and left no trace. It was rather admirable from the perspective of a professional killer, like many in the inner circle.

Even Bellatrix was grudgingly appreciative.

If there was one thing that magicals were lacking, particularly those that graduated Hogwarts, it was common sense.

Every time a Death Eater or sympathizer was murdered in broad daylight, there had been a noblewoman from France at the scene. The thing was that she always had a perfectly innocent explanation and no wand on her. Aside from some enchanted items and an old wand, there was nothing out of the ordinary about her.

Which was why Narcissa invited the girl to the party. To see if she had _anything_ to do with the deaths of the Inner Circle.

What she expected and what she got were two different things.

The woman she heard was a mature woman who owned a clothing line in France. She had several clients among the French high society and they all loved her work.

What she got was a girl about the same age as her son Draco, wearing what was clearly a betrothal ring for only the most noble and ancient of lines. She could feel the active magic coming off the thing, so any attempts to try and force her into a marriage with one of their younger members would be pointless.

The rings were designed in such a way that they would kill the one wearing them before they could be used as 'relief' for someone who didn't hold the matching ring. It was a sort of magical chastity belt, one to confirm the quality of both parties.

Narcissa quite approved of the fact that the girl clearly had enough sense to find a husband and insure everyone knew she was taken _discreetly_.

But there was something about her. Something familiar. She just couldn't place it.

Watching this Lierre Noir work the crowd was rather impressive. Seeing her deal with Draco efficiently and rather ruthlessly appealed to Narcissa's Black heritage. This was a girl who could navigate the pure blood circles and come out on top.

However, there was something...off...about the girl.

Observing Lierre Noir in action, Narcissa noticed something odd about her hands.

One hand was _always_ obscured by her rather fashionable dress. Moving around her, she never saw the girl show both hands for very long.

When Lierre left the party, there was a rather...odd...smile on her face and something about her eyes that screamed that Narcissa had seen this girl before.

It wouldn't be until two days later that she learned the news. Out of the inner circle members that attended the party, most were dead. More than that, someone had waltzed into Gringotts and claimed their vaults with a lesser known law.

Further inquiry had brought forth the knowledge that Lierre had checked into St. Mungo's for some unknown affliction, but left after a few hours.

However, what bothered her the most was the fact that to all appearances, there was nothing to indicate they had been injured in the first place.

Which was why this Lierre Noir was still her main suspect. However no one could find the girl when she wasn't trying to promote her shop in Paris, the "Lucky Ladybug".

There was apparently a local reference to the shop's name, but she didn't get it.

* * *

 _In the Order of the Phoenix, Hogsmeade..._

Dumbledore was not a happy camper. Someone was systematically killing the Death Eaters, and then claiming the now 'dead' vaults as soon as the mediwizards confirmed them to be deceased.

No one could figure out _how_ they were dying. No one knew the identity of the person murdering these people. About the only thing that they could confirm was that they did have a very specific target list and they were working down it one body at a time.

Death Eaters and Death Eater sympathizers, or just unpleasant wizards and witches in general.

All that he could get was that a French noble woman had been at the scene most of the time. A woman named Lierre Noir.

Officially, she was on a tour of Europe for a short period of time to promote her favorite shop in Paris. The "Lucky Ladybug", which was apparently a reference to some local superhero witch in Paris.

Ms. Granger didn't have much on the hero, just that it was definitely a witch that had an enchanted artifact using magic in broad daylight. The thing that shocked most of the older members was that not only had the muggles embraced the idea of this "Ladybug" and her team, but they didn't question the use of magic.

From what he could understand, muggle "pop culture" had a lot of influence on this fact.

According to Granger, the French had decided to allow the blatant use of magic in a very populated city for one reason.

The muggles apparently were under the belief that the magic came from the enchanted weapons or artifacts and not the individual. So long as the heroes agreed to stick to small magics, most of which were basic spells any competent wizard or witch could cast and knew, then the French ignored the blatant abuse of the Secrecy act. They didn't even bother to send out the Aurors to obliviate the witnesses, which was standard procedure.

It was baffling.

"I might have a lead on this Lierre Noir," said Moody gruffly.

"Oh?"

"She's been frequenting a rather higher up magical alley for cloth and other strange material that she has shipped back to her shop. Apparently she's some sort of fancy seamstress witch who has a lot of clients in the upper class."

"What sort of seamstress?"

"According to her advertising, she runs a specialty shop that caters to people that work frequently around muggles. The outfits supposedly blend seamlessly between magical and muggle worlds... or at least don't draw nearly as much attention as most wizards attempting to work around muggles."

"Can I see one of these adverts?" asked Granger. As a muggleborn she was a bit more up-to-date on muggle trends. She was a bit out of touch now but she could still tell if it would work or not.

Moody handed over a small pamphlet with samples. Most of them featured a pair of similar blond boys or a couple of girls wearing different outfits. Hermione took one look at them and blinked.

"This is steampunk. I'd recognize that style anywhere. I suppose it would pass cursory inspection by most pure bloods because it generally incorporates Victorian or American Western clothing with nineteenth century technology, which mostly ran on steam. There's an entire subculture of people who wear these outfits and most people barely give them a second look," explained Hermione.

It was rather brilliant, actually. The clothing itself _looked_ old enough to suit most pure blood tastes, while the steam aspect appealed to a younger generation.

"Is there any chance we can meet with Ms. Noir?"

"She really has a low opinion of you, headmaster. Something about how the English dogs could have cleaned up this mess years ago if you had a set of balls. Her words, not mine."


	18. Chapter 18

Lierre was at a muggle cafe when she called Bill and the others with a status report.

"I got an offer from Moody the other day. The one eyed fool didn't recognize me at all. Should have seen his face when he heard my opinion of Dumbledore," she said with glee. "Yeah, I thought it was funny too. I should be home within the month."

It was sad really. She had taken out _most_ of the Death Eater Inner Circle in less than a week, and she had only used a single enchanted knife.

The so called "Order of the Phoenix" had sat on it's asses for the better part of _two years_ since Voldemort came back and did a grand total of jack squat.

At the rate she was going, it wasn't likely there would be any wizards stupid enough to piss off whoever was killing off the Death Eaters.

It was when she went to visit Diagon to see how her 'claims' on the now dead vaults were going that she somehow found herself in the office of Amelia Bones.

She was still baffled as to how that happened.

"So. You're the mystery French woman who's been at the scene nine times out of ten whenever a 'mysterious' death occurs to some 'upstanding' pure blood."

Lierre eyes Amelia Bones with a strange look.

"You're still head of the DMLE, right?"

"For the moment. Why?"

"I'm guessing you want to know what's actually happening to the Death Eaters, or anyone stupid enough to agree with them."

"I would like that cleared up, yes."

"Can I get an oath from you and anyone who you plan to have listening in that this will not leak to the incompetent Minister or that weak-willed Dumbledore?"

"You can, but I'm curious as to why you would demand such."

"Well from what I recall of Susan, you were one of the most unbiased and fair members in the Ministry. Even if her own actions due to peer pressure wouldn't look too good on a resume for an Auror."

Now she had Madame Bones' full attention and interest. How did this French girl know her niece?

"I swear on my life and magic not to reveal anything said in this office to either Minister or Albus Dumbledore, so mote it be," said Amelia Bones.

"So mote it be," said Lierre, and the magic took effect. Suddenly a wicked grin appeared on her face, "My name is Lierre Noir now, but originally I was Ivy Potter."

Amelia Bones cursed, before looking at her properly.

"You've lost the curse scar. I can't believe I didn't recognize you sooner."

"There was a minor incident with a shade, but after that it healed over. As for _why_ you didn't recognize me immediately, well, the fidelius is such a useful charm," admitted Lierre. That and she had change quite a bit from the shy and quiet Ivy.

"...Why didn't I think of that. It's simple yet brilliant."

"And a great way to protect undercover Aurors!" chirped Lierre. "By the way, could you ask Lady Longbottom when she wants the severed heads of the Lestrange Trio to deliver? The charms are starting to wear off and the goblins charge through the nose to renew them."

Amelia Bones pinched the bridge of her nose. The worst part was that she was almost certain that the woman in front of her wasn't kidding about that.

"I'll pass a message along. To whom do you want her reply delivered?"

"Lierre Noir. I'm officially head of the Black family and if anyone asks I was putting down a mad dog that was disgracing the family."

"And the other Death Eaters?"

"The Black Family wasn't too happy to learn that Tom Riddle, aka You-Know-Who was lying about his heritage and decided to make an example through a blood feud? I checked Narcissa and Andromeda, and since they're not marked they're safe from me."

"He's lying about his heritage?" said Amelia, blinking.

"He's the son of a squib and a muggle. Not a pure blood or even a decent half blood from a proper line. I think that qualifies as enough reason to start a blood feud by tricking a Black into joining his little club," deadpanned Lierre.

"Then I can settle this entire case right now. Ministry laws don't cover blood feuds, and you're only targeting marked Death Eaters or sympathizers," said Amelia far too cheerfully.

"Want to know the trick to it? If Dumbledore asks?"

"You'll be giving us the clue that could finally solve the betting ring issues," said Amelia eagerly.

Lierre took out her favorite knife.

"Feel free to check the enchantments," said Lierre cheerfully.

"Nothing illegal, though some of the spell combinations are a bit odd."

"Same thing your Aurors said when they checked it. The thing is that the spells combined with a knowledge of anatomy make it a very effective silent killing tool. And best of all if Dumbledore asks how they were killed, you can tell them that 'light' oriented spells were the cause!"

Amelia snorted in amusement. That was certainly going to ruffle the old goat's feathers, finding out the truth. He went on and on about light and dark magic, but it was basic light oriented spells that were the reason pure blood lines were dying!

Lierre had to snort in amusement when she read the Prophet the next morning.

" _Blood Feud against You-Know-Who gets out of hand! Death Eaters and Sympathizers victims of vendetta against You-Know-Who for false claim on the Slytherin name!"_

The article gisted quite a bit, but the damage was done. The public finally knew the reason why Death Eaters and their friends were dropping like flies, and more importantly she had a pair of owls from Narcissa and Andromeda to straighten this out...or to see if she was lying about being head of the Black family now.

She was going to meet them both at once, tell them the truth before swearing them to secrecy, and if need be relocate Narcissa and possibly Draco someplace where they wouldn't get caught up in Lucius' mess.

 _In a more upscale Magical Alley, far from Diagon..._

Whoever this Lierre Noir was, Narcissa had to admit she had good taste in meeting places. It wasn't some drab restaurant or a cheap meeting room in Hogsmeade. It was an upscale place where the prices were so high the average witch or wizard couldn't hope in hell to afford it.

In short, the Weasleys would have to sell their only daughter or one of their sons in a marriage contract just to afford a single plate for one.

The food was always delicious and perfectly cooked, the tables had an automatic silencing charm so you were never disturbed by other guests, and the drink list was positively brimming.

More importantly it was almost impossible to find a muggleborn on the staff. There were proper pure bloods who worked here.

Narcissa made a beeline straight for the table with her estranged sister Andromeda and her daughter Nymphadora. The girl looked so out of place it was almost painful.

And there was Lierre, the girl who started this mess.

Narcissa had checked with the goblins and found that the "head of the Black Family" had indeed declared a valid blood feud over the fact that the Dark Lord had taken in two of the family under false pretense.

Feuds had been started for less.

What baffled her was the fact that as far as she knew, Sirius was the head of the Black family, and he would never do something this bold while he was firmly under the thumb of that old goat.

"Ah, Narcissa. How good of you to join us. Is your son not coming?" said Lierre pleasantly.

"I'm afraid I had to move Draco to one of the family's vacation homes until this was sorted out. The Dark Lord wasn't pleased when he found out the cause of his inner circle dying off," said Narcissa neutrally.

Not happy. What a massive understatement. He was downright _livid_ , and she had been quick enough to read the title on the paper before her husband had given it to the Dark Lord.

She had absconded with Draco before the first "Crucio" was flung by an enraged Voldemort.

"Of course. So long as he's not marked, I see no reason why you have to lose your son over such a monumental breach in trust," said Lierre kindly.

"Okay what the bloody hell is going on? How are you the new head of the Black family?" said Nymphadora tactlessly.

Thank Merlin for the automatic silencing charms.

"Simple. Sirius signed it over once he found out I was interested in it. If you recall, the old dog was only made head by default when his mother died and he had been estranged from the family long before his false incarceration."

"And who are you for him to hand over the title without a protest? Dislike over the fact he was now head of the family, I don't see that mutt handing it over to just _anyone_."

"He would if the person he was handing it over too was his heir long before he became head," said Lierre glibly. "If you want more than that I want an oath that you'll not pass this on to either the Dark Lord or that senile old man with an unhealthy fascination for the Greater good."

"You don't like Dumbledore?" said Narcissa.

"He's slipped up far too many times, and let far too much damage be done on his watch for me to ever have a good opinion of the man. And while he may believe he is a god to decide how people should live, he most certainly isn't," deadpanned Lierre. Narcissa nodded in approval, before swearing an oath not to say anything to the Dark Lord or her husband.

This was an _internal_ matter for the family after all. Andromeda did so as well, though only Nymphadora was hesitant to make such an oath.

Lierre's smile was perfectly pleasant...if you couldn't see her eyes.

"Before I was Lierre Noir of France, my original birth name was Ivy Marie Potter. And before you ask why Granger never told the Order, I had it under a fidelius _long_ before she was sent to France to find me," she informed Nymphadora.

Narcissa seemed far more happy learning her identity than she would have guessed.

"Well then in that case it really _is_ an internal dispute between the Black family and the house of Riddle. Coincidentally what did you do to Bella?"

"I sent her head to the Matriarch of the Longbottom family along with her husband and brother-in-law with the request that she take it as a sign of good faith and a gesture that the bad blood between us is cleansed," said Lierre formally.

Narcissa nodded, far more calmly than Nymphadora would have thought she would be. Bellatrix never would have renounced the Dark Lord, blood feud or not. And her actions were becoming far too erratic of late, which was a sign of poor breeding. Since it was a Black who killed her, then it was perfectly acceptable.

"You're being awfully calm about all this aunt Narcissa," said Nymphadora.

"Why wouldn't I be?" asked Narcissa baffled. It was a shame about Bella, but after Azkaban her sister hadn't been right in the head.

"Nymphadora, if you think about it, magical Britain is stuck firmly in the Victorian era, with the odd hints of modern society. So long as the proper protocols are followed and everything follows the old customs, not a single pure blood is going to care that I'm killing Death Eaters. Madame Bones herself admitted that since this did fall under the purview of a legitimate Blood Feud, and that I only went after those that fell under You-Know-Who's banner, that it's perfectly legal. More than that, the goblins have verified my claim over the now dead vaults, which have made the Black family practically flush with fresh gold," said Lierre patiently.

"First off, don't call me Nymphadora. I hate that name. Secondly, I thought you were Dumbledore's protege? How can you condone murder?"

"Why does everyone assume I even _like_ that man, especially after all the damage he did? As for him being my mentor, I did respect him up to a point until Fourth year, but after that I realized if I wanted to actually _live_ my life I had to leave and cut all ties with him. And again, it's not murder. Think of it more like cleaning up the trash for perfectly legal reasons," said Lierre.

"What do you mean, damage?" said Andromeda sharply.

"I had to go through a full year of therapy and lessons just to undo the years of trauma and emotional pain I went through because of his incompetence. Not to mention I was left completely blind to my father's half of my magical heritage and unaware of the _many_ ways I could have shut Draco up when I was at Hogwarts without having to worry about the teachers complaining. Particularly Snape. If Antoinette hadn't taken me in under her wings, I never would have been able to deal with the higher pure blood circles as well as I do now," said Lierre.

"I simply must thank this...Antoinette... was it? For teaching you. I haven't seen someone play a party that well and come out on top since I first started attending them," said Narcissa.

"Which reminds me. You should really resign from that silly little club. It's bad enough that we've lost two because of the that fake Dark Lord, the last thing we need is to lose another girl to the hypocritical 'Light' Lord because he has a bad habit of sending in people without the proper back up or mindset," said Lierre to Nymphadora.

"I completely agree. Dumbledore lost more of his precious club due to poor planning and even worse spell choice, and I refuse to lose my only daughter to his idiocy," said Andromeda.

Nymphadora pouted.

"So where would you suggest we relocate until things settle down?" asked Narcissa as she ordered another drink. The entire meal was on Lierre, who was using some of her newly gained gold to treat the family.

"Well I live in Paris, and I know for a fact there's a home there that could use some work. It might do your son some good to learn how to do some hard work, rather than whine to his father for everything," said Lierre pleasantly. Narcissa chuckled darkly.

Draco could use a bit of a reminder that the world did not revolve around him.

"It would do you some good to get away from England as well. I don't like how you've been hanging around Lupin so closely," said Andromeda.

"But mum!"

"He's old enough to be your father, and while I do adore Remus to an extent you could easily do much better," agreed Lierre. Her grin was a bit wicked as she asked "By the way, how did he like my gift?"

Nymphadora looked sour until the last bit registered.

"The twins were slipping him those pills you sent, and I've noticed he looks a lot less haggard."

Lierre snickered.

"What gift?" asked Narcissa.

"I sent Remus muggle medicine designed to help deal with the time of the month that women hate the most. I guess it works on werewolves too," snickered Lierre.

Andromeda chuckled as well.

"She also went into far too much detail what happens when that time of the month comes around to the entire Order, in a voice that was completely flat. You should have seen his face when he realized what she was talking about," said Nymphadora with far too much glee.

Narcissa cackled.

This was one of her better evenings.


	19. Chapter 19

The return of Lierre was also marked by the sudden move of the remaining Black family to France. More importantly it was marked by the rather unfortunate fact that Draco bloody _Malfoy_ would be attending the same school as his cousin.

Lierre was thanking _every_ god she could think of that they didn't have any more room in her class, and that he would be forced to go to a different homeroom.

He was bad enough in Hogwarts. She didn't want to deal with him another minute in the same classes.

She also didn't feel an iota of pity sicking Chloe on him, and telling her to use some of her worst behavior as a way to cut his rampant ego down to size.

Chloe had been a headache. Draco had been a bloody nightmare.

Tikki didn't ask what she had done in England. She had been keeping up on the international circuit through the twins and their copies of the _Daily Prophet_. (They charged extra for international deliveries, which required house elves rather than owls.)

The fact that the Kwami didn't hold any judgment for or against her was an honest relief. Apparently she understood that if something wasn't done, the death toll would have been higher.

Voldemort was still running around, but with information on the soul pieces and the knowledge that not only was Dumbledore doing nothing to stop it, but he was actively hindering his club from helping...well that had been the last straw for Amelia Bones.

It didn't hurt that Lierre had publicly named a proxy for dealing with the Death Eaters in her place. Madame Longbottom had never catered to Dumbledore, and with the Blacks backing her up officially, she finally had the push she needed to force the neutrals to clean up the mess Dumbledore had created.

It was in the form of a magical contract. In exchange for the vaults of the families that were wiped out for joining the wrong wizard, and the assurance that Dumbledore would be _forced_ under oath to retire from any and all future offices with any influence over their society as a whole, Lierre graciously opened the floodgates for any families who had lost someone close to them in the last war.

And with how thorough Voldemort was with wiping out families, well, there were quite a few people who were only held back by the legalities of going out and murdering the ones responsible.

Finding out that Madame Bones wouldn't be prosecuting any deaths so long as it fell under the rules of blood feuds between families had opened the door.

Lierre left England with the knowledge that at least now they _might_ get back on track. The old ways were somewhat outdated, but they still worked better than the crap Dumbledore tried to shove down the throats of the pure bloods.

When it doubt, go back to basics, from before the Ministry was formed.

And the best part of all was that Dumbledore couldn't stop it because they had been in place for centuries.

* * *

"So how was England?" asked Marinette. It was weird being Ladybug for a while, but at least Lierre thought things through.

"Dull, but on the plus side I made great progress cleaning up a rather irritating mess that my old teacher left for the new generation to deal with. And I have a _lot_ of new orders from the girls at my old school."

"And what about the news of a new student coming to our school?" asked Chloe.

Lierre's sudden disgusted grimace surprised many.

"Please don't remind me of that pompous windbag. It's bad enough we're _related_. I'm just thanking any and every god that will listen we're not in the same class. He's much worse than you ever were Chloe," said Lierre miserably.

Chloe thought back to the two examples Lierre had given her to make her understand that she _knew_ that most of her snotty attitude was a plea for attention from her father. Which is why she asked "Your cousin or the one who always threatened people with his father?"

"The second," said Lierre.

Chloe made a face. She had gotten even _more_ stories out of Lierre about this Malfoy kid and had been glad to never meet him.

"Wait, wait, wait. What?" said Alya.

"My _cousin_ (Lierre spat the word out like it was a disease) is someone who was ten times worse than Chloe at her bitchiest _and_ on that time of the month. He always treated the smallest slight against his person by threatening to bring his father into it, all because of his position. Well now his dad's gone and he's forced to take his mother's maiden name. Which means he's going to be a complete headache to be around until he gets his head out of his ass," said Lierre miserably.

"Ouch," said Alya in sympathy.

"On the plus side, if he gets too annoying this time I can pull rank on his sorry butt and shut him down. And best of all his mother doesn't mind if I put him in his place, because his behavior was unbecoming for a member of the family," said Lierre vindictively.

As the head of the family, Draco had to listen to _her_ now. Especially when she pulled out the title on him. He might be the Malfoy family heir, but that was only on paper. In the pure blood circles, family was practically everything.

And if he wanted to remain in the Black family, he would have to learn some much needed manners, among other things. Otherwise he might as well be a _muggleborn_.

And that was completely unacceptable to Draco.

All Lierre could think of the situation was "Payback is a bitch, and so am I."

"By the way, did anyone else get a text from the Lucky Ladybug about..." started Chloe, changing the subject.

"Shh! It's called a 'flash mob' for a reason!" hissed Alya.

"Flash mob?" said Marinette.

"Oh yeah, you don't subscribe to the Lucky Ladyblog," said Alya. It was tied to her site, the Ladyblog which had all the news and theories on Ladybug and her partners.

Lierre had asked Alya if she didn't mind tying the sites together to drum up business and web views. For every Ladybug or similarly themed outfit (there were also ones for Chat Noir, Chat Blanc, Volpine and Queen Bee), there was a link that went straight to Alya's page.

And for every person Alya's blog sent to the Lucky Ladybug boutique, Alya got a small commission. It wasn't much, little more than ten Euros for every person who visited the site through Alya's blog that bought something, but it was more than she got initially when she started the site.

"Actually my Lucky Ladybug has been going so well that I'll soon be able to open a second store in England."

"So soon? Aren't you worried about the store failing?"

"I have a...captive... clientele," deadpanned Lierre.

And by that she meant the purebloods, half bloods and muggleborns practically begging for a store where they could wear clothes that fit in both mundane and magical worlds. Until things actually started to change, her store was the closest thing the muggleborns had to a modern trend that they could wear in the magical society without being shunned.

Besides, gold was better than ephemeral paper money.

Félix approached Lierre about the 'new student'. One word was all he needed to know that the new kid was to be avoided at all costs.

"Malfoy."

* * *

Lierre's return couldn't have been timed better. It was class election time, and this time it would be rather... interesting. Everyone just assumed Chloe would be the rep again.

She had no interest in running this time around. While her self confidence had gotten back up, she didn't want to deal with that headache again.

However it seemed fate, and some girls who really didn't like the blond for her change of heart, had different plans.

"The class representative for this year will be Chloe..." started the teacher.

"WHAT?"

Startled by the sudden interruption, the teacher looked at her oddly.

"Ms. Bustier, I never signed up for class rep this year!"

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about it," said the teacher apologetically.

"Then can we at least chose other candidates so that I'm not stuck with the position by default?"

"Well? Is anyone willing to run for class rep?"

Knowing Chloe had reformed, and with the time turners Lierre had thoughtfully shared with the other heroes to make day-to-day life easier when they had to fight akuma, Marinette slowly raised her hand. To her surprise, so did Lierre.

"Marinette? Lierre?" questioned the teacher.

"I'll run for class rep," said Lierre.

Age old rivalry between Abeille and Tikki kicked in.

"I'll run as well. Might as well make this interesting, right?" said Marinette. Lierre winked at her.

"Very well. You'll all have a week to chose among the three candidates. Be sure to pick your vice-rep carefully."

Marinette looked at Lierre.

"I'm going with Alya."

"In that case I'll drag Félix into this and force him to help with the paperwork," said Lierre wickedly. Adrian, having overheard that comment snickered.

* * *

 _The next day..._

Almost overnight posters of Chloe appeared all over the school. From the way she was ripping them down with a furious look on her face, some were beginning to doubt she had put them up.

"What the heck?" said Lierre.

"I came in and found these all over the school! I have no idea who put them up either!" said Chloe in her defense.

"I believe you. Come on, let's try and find out who dragged you into something you aren't inclined to deal with," said Lierre gently.

In the end, it was Lierre who found the culprits. She let her full Black heritage out to play and left the bullies crying and terrified of her.

No one pissed off a Black. And this reminded her a little too painfully of her experience in that thrice damned tournament. At least Chloe wouldn't be shunned by the entire school.

"Trying to be the golden girl again, Potter?" sneered a voice. It was Draco.

Rather than take his nonsense with quiet grace, Lierre suddenly found herself backed by the majority of her class.

"This coming from the boy with _the_ lowest grade point average in the school?" sneered Chloe. Her old habits were kicking in, and she fully intended to put this dog in his place.

Draco seemed to pick up on the Queen Bee vibe, because he brought his full pure blood haughtiness to bear.

"As if someone like you would know," sneered Draco.

"As I recall, _Draco_ , your father's precious family was kicked out of France with it's tail between it's legs by mere _commoners_. Even your family name practically screams that you're a sniveling coward," said Lierre viciously. Draco blinked, not expecting his old rival to be as catty as his mother during that time of the month.

"What's going on?" asked Adrian.

"Lierre is just putting this cad in his place. He shouldn't have butted in on a conversation," said Chloe. Draco just rubbed her the wrong way on so many levels.

"Oh look Potter, you have fan girls!"

Lierre glared at him.

"For the last time, _bad faith_ , my name is Noir, not Potter. And you really don't want to push me. Unlike last time, there aren't going to be any teachers here to stop me from really expressing how I feel about your snide comments. Not to mention that pathetic teacher won't be here to cover up your bad behavior. Or that if you get kicked out of this school for being an ass, you'll shame the family. You're treading on thin ice as it is," said Lierre with a cold tone.

Draco couldn't hide the wince at the reminder. His mother had been quite clear on the fact that while the Malfoy family might tolerate his bratty behavior, as a Black he was held to higher standards.

And with his father Lucius dead, and the goblins withholding the inheritance until Draco came of age or passed his N.E.W.T.s he had to rely on the Black family.

The problem was that his rival Potter was the head of the family, and all the _current_ Blacks agreed he needed to fix his behavior.

Bellatrix had been a mad dog, but Draco actively made the entire bloodline look _weak_ and cowardly. Not exactly something an ancient and noble house wanted.

If he didn't shape up, he would make the Malfoy blood look weak, which meant he'd be _lucky_ to get a proper pure blood wife of suitable breeding.

Draco reluctantly backed down. Potter... Noir, had won this round.

"What was _that_ about?" asked Marinette.

"Draco Malfoy, my cousin...unfortunately. At our last school he practically ruled the place because his dad was on the school board and rich enough that he practically had a Minister in his pocket. It didn't help that the teachers turned a blind eye to his bullying habits, and one actively covered up his more...unpleasant activities. He got away with far more than Chloe ever _dared_ to pull," said Lierre with a grimace.

"Seriously?" said Alya.

"He once used the British equivalent of the derogatory 'N' word from American slang to describe others he considered of lesser breeding, and not once was he punished for it or given detention. However a lot of things are different now."

"Different how? Because no offense girl, I would pretend we weren't related if he were one of my cousins," said Alya.

Lierre's grin was vicious.

"For one thing, his father's family was chased out over a century ago from France. And now he has to _live_ here despite the bad blood left behind. Which puts him on the lowest of the low in the high society ranks. Another is that while he's the heir of a slightly old family, he can't inherit squat until he's at least seventeen or emancipated. The thing is, until he turns seventeen, he's completely dependent on his mother's family name. And _I_ happen to be the HEAD of said family. Which means he has to at least behave or I cut him off and leave him destitute. It also means he'll have a very hard time getting a wife later on."

"Sounds overly complicated and silly," said Marinette.

"Eh. The nobility might have faded into obscurity, but until it's abolished completely there are still enough remnants that take it far too seriously. And until that happens, if he annoys me too much his ass is _mine_ ," said Lierre viciously.

Yes, she was taking far too much enjoyment having control over her former rival, but at least she wasn't abusing it like he would have. She was going to teach him some humility and respect if it meant forcing him to bow down and call her "Queen Noir".

* * *

 _Later that night..._

A hooded figure sneaked into the school. They had only one mission...to destroy or cover up those stupid posters.

The moon peaked from behind the clouds, granting light to the courtyard while the figure was busy at work. Two faces were seen from their place over the posters of Chloe.

Marinette and Lierre.

When the figure turned, it was not who one might expect.

Chloe was the one putting up the posters. She didn't want to be class rep this year, and she definitely didn't like being forced into the running by the same girls she once considered acquaintances.

She just hoped Lierre and Marinette didn't get into trouble for her replacing these stupid posters.


End file.
